


Sword of Glory

by Triskel_Samulet



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Friend Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Feral Derek Hale, First Kiss, Full Shift Werewolves, Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Jock Straps, M/M, Polish Stiles Stilinski, Polish gods and goddesses, Resurrection, Stiles Stilinski is Something, Stiles Stilinski's Name is Mieczysław
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:42:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29030349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Triskel_Samulet/pseuds/Triskel_Samulet
Summary: There once was a couple in Eastern Europe who were incapable of conceiving a child of their own, and so they made one. This child was said to be blessed by the gods. He had the spark of life and the void of death within him. He was called The Sword of Glory.Stories of the Sword spread through the supernatural word. Those with a wish for power tried to track it down, causing the couple to flee their home country.His parents knew others would try and take advantage of him; plead for their loved ones back or ask for revenge on an enemy, and so they hid him. Not only did they hide him from the outside world, but they also hid him from himself.He had no idea he had the power to bring his mom back or that he was capable of killing her like she accused him of trying to do. To himself and to everyone else, he was a normal kid with a goofy nickname. It didn’t seem odd that no one ever knew his real name and people had stopped asking.Even when he found out about the supernatural world, he did not doubt his mundane status. Until one day...
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 46
Kudos: 171





	1. Feral

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to wait until this was completely finished before posting any chapters, but that's not what I normally do and I didn't have the patients, so by resolution lasted 27 days, lol.
> 
> This work is canon complaint until the season 4 finale. Derek and Braedan had a FWB thing, but no feelings were involved. They didn't take the police van, but a couple jeeps (including Roscoe) and Lydia came with. I also had Stiles and Braedan switch spots once they got to Mexico.
> 
> Now that the scene has been set, I love comments and kudos, so be sure to leave some! Hope you like it!

Derek was dead. He died right in front of Stiles. The pack was running crazy. There were berserkers everywhere. Kate Argent was still alive and was a werejaguar. And Derek was dead.

He knew he should do something. He should help in some way, but what could he do? He was a human with a baseball bat, and Derek was dead.

So, instead of doing something, he clung to Derek. It was all he could do. He held onto his body as he cried and wailed. Wishing for things to be different. Demanding his circumstances change. He didn’t care what else happened, as long as Derek lived and those who did this to him died.

Suddenly, his pain turned to anger. He gently placed Derek’s body back down and he stepped out onto the battlefield- or what counted for one in the middle of this desert when one team is only teenagers… and Braedan- and he let out all his anger, frustration, and pain out in a single scream.

It wasn’t like a banshee scream that affected the outside world. No, this scream felt like it unlocked something inside of him. He grabbed his bat and went after the nearest berserker. As soon as he hit the beast with his bat, the thing disintegrated. Then he went after the next, and the next.

Before he knew it, he had taken all of them down single handedly. The entire pack was looking at him with varying degrees of fear and amazement, but Stiles didn’t care. He was breathing hard and the only thing he had on his mind was Kate.

The werebitch was still out there somewhere. He was going to find her and get her for everything she did to Derek. And he meant everything. Not just the de-aging or the fire, but for taking advantage of a young, vulnerable teen. 

He knew what she did. It wasn’t that hard to put the pieces together and figure it out - she gave off major predator vibes. And not that Derek was gone, he was going to get the justice that the other man never could.

Suddenly there was a growl behind him. Stiles turned around, gearing up for a fight, expecting Kate to be there. Instead what he saw was a large black wolf with glowing red eyes. Did Mexico have wolves?

The answer to that question was irrelevant because that wolf was Derek. Stiles knew in his bones that that was Derek. But that couldn’t be right. Derek was dead. And even if he wasn’t, there was no way Derek could turn into an actual wolf, right? Right. Right?

But now the wolf’s bones were shifting in a way that had to be painful. No one’s bones should just move like that. Stiles felt sick just watching it and he wanted to turn away, but he couldn’t because he needed to know; he needed to see.

And then he saw the wolf turn into a very alive, very naked Derek. Derek! He was standing in front of Stiles and his eyes were still glowing the same alpha red as they had been in wolf form.

“Derek?” Stiles whispered, as if anything louder would make him disappear because, despite seeing the transformation for himself, it was still unbelievable that the other man was there.

When Derek didn’t disappear, Stiles choked back a sob and ran to him, enveloping him in a hug. He held on tightly, not wanting to leave Derek for a second. He just got Derek back, like hell he was letting go.

“Why are you hugging me?” Derek asked.

Right. They weren’t really the touchy-feely kind of friends, if you could even call them friends. While Stiles cared deeply for Derek, he was probably and acquaintance at best to the other man, and acquaintances didn’t hug

“Sorry, dude,” Stiles said, letting Derek go, “But you were dead, then a wolf. I think your return is a hud worthy thing.”

Derek blinked at Stiles, “I was a wolf?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Um… yeah?” Stiles responded, “Just a few seconds ago.” The pack exchanged looks as Stiles tried to explain what happened, it seemed like Derek was just as confused as the rest of them.

“Do you not remember?” Stiles tried.

Derek shook his head, “What happened to the berserkers?”

Again with the questions no one had the answers to.

“Stiles did it.” Except Scott, apparently.

“How?” Derek demanded. And was that a hint of alpha voice Stiles was detecting? That was hot. Scott’s alpha voice was never hot. 

Ew. The thought of Scott and hot in the same sentence… just no.

Stiles looked up and saw all eyes on him, “Um, I don’t know? It just sort of happened.”

“Humans don’t ‘just happen’ to kill a supernatural army with just a baseball bat.” Lydia pointed out, and she was right. But all Stiles could do was shrug because he genuinely didn’t know what happened.

“Either way it was hot.” Malia chimed in, and that just wasn’t fair. One minute she’s dumping him and the next she’s calling him hot?

His thoughts were cut off by a growl behind him and a solid chest at his back and muscular arms encircling him. Yup, Derek just pulled him against his naked body. Stiles turned his head to look at Derek’s face and saw his eyes glowing red again.

Yup, this was super hot, but what the hell was going on?

The pack looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Stiles was apparently super powerful against berserkers and Derek resurrected somehow into a feral, alpha werewolf with a Stiles fixation.

“Maybe we should call Deaton?” Scott suggested.

Stiles scoffed, “Yeah, like he ever helps beyond vague and ominous misdirections.”

“Well then, what’s your plan?” Scott yelled.

Derek’s grip on Stiles tightened as he growled at Scott.

“Well for starters you don’t piss off Derek!” Stiles explained, “Secondly you don’t piss off me because, one, that pisses off Derek, apparently, and two, we don’t know how I did that to the berserkers.” 

As far as plans went, it was fairly simple, and yet provided no information on what they actually should do. Stiles just knew the best way to keep everyone alive was to keep himself and Derek calm.

“Why don’t Derek and I take the jeep back,” Stiles suggested, “And the rest of you can get a ride with Breadan?”

“There’s not enough space in my car.” Breadan pointed out.

“Well in the state Derek is in I don’t think he’d let anyone else in Roscoe.”

At the sound of a new name, Derek started growling again.

“It’s a car!” Stiles exclaimed, “A car. Not a person, or a rival, or anything. A car for just you and me. No one else.”

He didn’t know if it was his tone of voice or his words that soothed Derek. It seemed his mind was going more and more animal by the second.

“Look, I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to figure out a way back on your own. Derek isn’t going to play well with others right now and I have to try whatever I can to bring him back.” He tried to walk over to the jeep, but Derek held him in place with his werewolf strength.

Stiles made a frustrated sound as he then tried to turn himself face to face with Derek. It was quite difficult with how tightly Derek was holding him, but soon they were face to face. Except Derek wasn’t looking at him, he was looking at the rest of the pack, a reverberating warning growl was humming through his chest.

“Derek, look at me,” Stiles coaxed, “Look at me, not them.”

Derek gave one last, louder warning growl before looking back at Stiles with a glare. As if looking at the man he was holding hostage was an inconvenience.

“There’s my wolf-man!” Stiles smiled, trying to keep the beast calm, “I’m not trying to leave you. I’m trying to take you with me.”

Stiles placed his hands on Derek’s waist and put some pressure there as he took a small step back. It wasn’t much, just enough that Derek would move with him like he wanted.

“Good, not keep coming with me.” He took another, larger step and Derek followed that as well.

They continued this dance until Stiles’ back was against the door of the jeep. Stiles hadn’t intended to get backed up like that, but Derek seemed to be having the time of his life. Apparently the wolf side liked to rough Stiles up against solid objects as much as the human side did.

Derek took this as an opportunity to shove Stiles against the jeep and start attacking his neck, with his… nose? 

Stiles looked over Derek’s head at the pack and saw they were just as confused as he was. He knew speaking to them would probably set Derek off again, so he tried to ask for help with his facial expressions.

It didn’t work because the pack, sans Lydia, were all pretty dense and he didn’t have expressive Hale eyebrows, but at least one person should have figured out what he had been trying to do.

“Dude, what are you going to do about border patrol?” Scott asked.

“Gee, Scott, I don’t know,” Stiles rolled his eyes, “How about we get in the car first?”

Stiles had been wrong about talking disturbing the wolf. Instead, it made the wolf move from sniffing to licking. Ever since Derek crowded in on him against the jeep, Stiles had been trying to focus on the larger situation in order to avoid a smaller, more personal situation.

He tried focusing on his anger against Scott, but then the licking turned to sucking and Derek was right over his pulse point and… yeah… he had a boner and Derek managed to work a leg between Stiles legs and was grinding… And yup, he was also humping Stiles’ leg now.

The pack, thankfully looked away from the scene, well except for Malia who was staring unashamedly, but she was also more beast than human, so she didn’t really count. Except for the fact that Derek apparently felt her eyes on Stiles and he hadn’t been too happy the last time that happened.

Derek’s lips stopped their ministrations on Stiles’ neck as he began to growl again. He turned his back to Stiles and went into a defensive crouch where he looked for any potential threat, and then his eyes zeroed in on Malia.

He leaped at her and tackled her to the ground. They were moving so fast and there were so many claws that Stiles didn’t know what was going on. He decided to use it as an opportunity to get in the jeep as he waited for the craziness to calm down. The pack could handle this.

He opened the driver’s side door and looked back over the fight. They both looked pretty scratched up. Malia was in her beta form, as was Derek, except Derek’s bones started moving, shifting, and cracking again. It looked just as painful as it did the first time around, and then in Derek’s place was the big black wolf.

The wolf snapped at Malia and had her running deep into the desert with her metaphorical tail between her legs, but Stiles figured she’d be back to her real tail soon. How was this his life?

With Malia gone, Derek shifted his focus back to Stiles. The wolf ran up to the jeep and hopped in the still open driver’s side door, knocking Stiles down in the process. He then proceeded to lay on top of Stiles and started licking his face.

Stiles wanted to make a comment, but knew as soon as he opened his mouth the wolf would start licking into it and that was just way too gross to think about right now. He finally maneuvered so his back was against the passenger door and he nodded for someone to close the driver’s door so that Derek couldn’t escape.

After the door was closed he saw the pack trying to pile into Breadan’s car and he started brainstorming for a way into the driver’s seat. He saw his gym bag sitting on the backseat. He tried to reach it, but couldn’t with the weight of Derek on top of him. He tried to shove Derek down in order to get more mobility of his upper half, but it wasn’t working… until it did.

And now there was no Derek on top of him, but his nose was shoved in  _ places _ ! He tried to ignore it in order to grab his gym bag, but then there was  _ licking _ ! It felt weird, and Stiles was glad there were pants as a barrier, but it was weird! The wolf tongue was longer and rougher than a human tongue, not that he’d had much experience. Malia never really did stuff like this for him.

Stiles shook his head and refocused on his goal. He unzipped the gym bag and grabbed the first article of clothing he could. It was his jersey. That was good. He hadn’t had time to wash it so there should be enough of his scent left to change the wolf’s focus.

He shoved the jersey between Derek’s muzzle and Stiles’ groin. The wolf just huffed, shook his head, and nosed the jersey out of the way before he continued his licking.

“UGH!” Stiles groaned. They would never get out of Mexico at this rate.

He reached into the bag again, hoping it would work this time and he pulled out his jock strap… that could work. That was the area Derek seemed to be focusing on.

He scooted up as he moved the jock closer to Derek. Thankfully he took an interest in the fabric and started licking that instead. Stiles went over the seat into the back and then back to the front in order to get around the wolf. Then he fished out the keys and started heading for the border. At least a giant wolf was easier to explain than a naked man with glowing red eyes.

It was late when they pulled into Beacon Hills. Derek was still a wolf and still wouldn’t leave Stiles’ side. He knew his dad would want him home, so he brought Derek with him and decided to take care of the rest in the morning.

The cruiser was gone, so his dad must have been working the night shift. He sent him a text along with the pack, letting them all know he made it back safely. Then he got to his bedroom and collapsed in bed without even changing out of his clothes. Before he fell asleep he registered a large, warm presence lying next to him.

When he woke up, Stiles heard movement in his room. He shot up in bed and saw a still naked Derek going through his dresser.

“Are you you?” Stiles asked.

Derek glared at him with green eyes, “Yes I’m me. Your clothes don’t fit.”

“Yeah, we established that a few years ago.” Stiles rolled out of bed and into his dad’s room. He grabbed a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and brought it back for Derek.

“Here. You can borrow these until you can get back to the loft.”

Derek nodded and started getting dressed, “Why was I naked in your bed? And how did we get back from Mexico?”

Stiles’ eyebrows rose, “So you don’t remember anything that happened?”

“I remember the trip down to Mexico,” Derej recalled, “You and I were in the back of Braedan’s jeep with Liam, trying to get him to learn control. After we arrived a berserker got me and he stabbed me multiple times. I was dying… you stayed with me.”

“You did die,” Stiles confessed, “And then a bunch of stuff happened. But first, breakfast!”

Stiles did not want to think about what happened in Mexico. At least not until he had coffee and a full stomach.

He went downstairs and started making eggs and bacon. Derek came down after him and started the coffee maker. The front door opened and Noah walked in. When he saw Stiles, he stopped in his tracks.

“What did you do?” He asked in a hushed tone.

“Um… we went to Mexico and saved Scott and Kira?” Stiles tried, “Oh, and Derek died, but he got better.”

Noah sighed, “You brought him back, didn’t you?”

Stiles and Derek both stopped in their tracks and put their full focus on the sheriff.

“That’s something he could do?” Derek asked.

Noah shook his head and went to the liquor cabinet.

“Hey! It’s breakfast!” Stiles protested.

“I need it for this conversation kid,” Noah grabbed the scotch and a glass and settled in at the table. Stiles brought the finished eggs and bacon and Derek brought the coffee.

“Did you do anything else?” Noah leveled his son with the look that meant he wasn’t kidding around.

Stiles then explained what he had done and Derek’s feral behavior after coming back to life- omitting certain details. He did not want to embarrass himself or Derek.

Noah nodded when he was done, “So it’s started then.”

“What’s started?” Stiles asked, “What am I?”

“You are Mieczyslaw.” Noah said.

Stiles missed the way Derek stiffened next to him, “Yeah, that’s my name. What does that have to do with this?”

“The Sword of Glory,” Derek gasped, “I didn’t think that was real. Never would have guessed it was a person!” He was looking at Stiles in awe, and it was making him shift uncomfortably under the gaze.

“But what does that mean?” Stiles asked.

“You weren’t born here, Stiles.” Noah started.

“I’m an alien?” Stiles gaped.

“No!” Right, because that was ridiculous, “You mother and I both grew up in Poland. That’s where we met and that’s where you were born. Only we couldn’t have kids. Your grandmother still held to the old slavic pantheon, so she suggested we go and petition Zywie for a child. She hadn’t had visitors to her temple in a while and ended up showing up in person. She granted our request, but then Marzyana showed up. She said there needed to be balance, so she had to be a part of this as well. Their power is what birthed you into this world and you were given to us to raise.

“We were warned you weren’t like other kids. If you knew of your origin you would be able to tap into extreme levels of power. Claudia and I decided to keep it from you for as long as possible because we didn’t know what to expect. When you were a baby people came for you. They heard of your power. So we fled to America and never used your real name again. Now that you’ve tapped into that power, these people might try again and get your power for themselves.”

“...So I’m like a demigod?” Stiles asked, “But demigods only have one godly parent… am I a minor god? Like am I part of the Polish pantheon now? What can I do? What can my mothers do? Like, what are they the goddesses of?”

“I’ll let you figure that out,” his father smirked, “I know you love your research. And Derek, I know you know the legend surrounding Stiles, so no helping. And no telling Peter.” He added as an afterthought. And, yeah. Letting that power hungry wolf know that Stiles is this powerful dude would not be a good idea.

Noah excused himself to get some sleep after working all night. Stiles looked over at Derek, but the wolf just shook his head, “You aren’t getting anything from me.”

He got up and started heading for the back door that led to the preserve, “And thanks, by the way. For bringing me back.”

Stiles just nodded and watched the wolf disappear into the woods.

It turned out Zywie was the giver of life and Maryana was the bringer of death. So what did that make him?

He had spent the whole day researching his birth parents, but Polish mythology was a little hard to come by on the internet. It wasn’t like Greek or Roman mythology that was still taught in school, or even Norse mythology that’s used in comic books. It was unknown and obscure.

So instead he started looking up the Sword of Glory. There were some anime and manga results that showed up first, but soon he found some supernatural forums where people were discussing possible sightings and discussed what they wanted to do with the VoidSpark, as they called him.

While he learned more about what he was, he was also very creeped out by what he was reading. Most didn’t realize he was a person and thought they were looking for an actual sword. But some knew the truth and wanted to extract the power from him, others wanted to gain his trust and manipulate him into doing their bidding. Others still wanted to dominate him in every way and make him their slave.

He preferred being talked about as an actual object than being objectified. He was glad that he hadn’t come into his power while Gerard of the Alpha Pack were around. They would have used him just like these people in the forum were saying. Hell, they may be a part of this forum for all he knew.

He had been so lost in thought that he didn’t hear his dad enter the room until he said, “I knew you would find that, but I had hoped you wouldn’t.”

“You’ve seen this before?” Stiles asked.

“I keep an eye on it to make sure no one’s getting close,” Noah explained, “I will also post from time to time with false leads. Enforce the idea that it’s an actual sword.”

That made sense.

“There are a lot of posts about Mexico from the last twenty-four hours,” Stiles noted, “I guess I got out of there just in time.”

Noah sighed, “It’s going to be easier for them to find you now that you actually have your powers.”

“Good thing I have a pack to help me.” Stiles gave a weak smile. He knew this was going to be bigger than anything the pack had faced before. He wasn’t sure what was coming, but there was something on the horizon.


	2. Alphas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for some reason I thought the Stiles/Malia break up was in season 4, but it was season 5. For the purpose of my fic, we are going to imagine it was season 4. Thank you.
> 
> Anyway, comments and kudos are appreciated!

Stiles pulled up to the loft and took a deep breath. He made his way up the stairs and stopped when he got in front of Derek’s door. Before he had a chance to knock, Derek was rolling open the door and glaring at Stiles. He was also shirtless, Stiles noticed with pleasure.

“What do you want?” Derek growled.

“Um-” Stiles couldn’t think. He was too distracted by the droplets of sweat on Derek’s torso. Was he working out and Stiles interrupted? He must have been.

Derek rolled his eyes and moved back into the loft. Stiles followed him, liking that back view as much as he had been enjoying the front view. It didn’t help that he knew exactly what Derek looked like under those sweats.

“Did you come here for something, or did you just want to stink up my loft with hormones?” Derek asked, snapping Stiles out of his lustful thoughts. Damn, he had forgotten about werewolf noses for a second.

“Sorry, I did come here to ask you something,” Derek gave him a look that said ‘continue or I’m going to kill you’, “What have you heard about me? I’ve done my research. I know about my mom’s and about the creepy online forum trying to track me down, but what have you heard.”

Derek’s expression slowly turned sad, “Not much,” he admitted, “But I remember hearing stories about a sword that would grant the wielder power over life and death. After my family- well let’s just say I’ve dreamed about being the owner of the sword. Never thought it was real. Never thought it was you.”

“Derek, I don’t know if I can-” Stiles cut himself off. He didn’t want to give Derek false hope, but he didn’t want to completely write it off either, “I’m still not sure the extent of what I can do. And I don’t want to use it that much. Mexico is crawling with people looking for me after… you know.”

Derek nodded, as if he had been expecting as much.

“Do the others know anything about the Sword?” Stiles asked.

Derek shook his head, “Peter knows more than I do. Argent, too, probably. Maybe Noshiko. But not the pack. They’re too new to this to hear any legends like that.”

“Should we tell them?” Stiles asked.

“That’s up to you.” To Stiles’ disappointment, Derek went to his dresser, which was next to the mattress in the corner, and put on a shirt. That was just rude.

“Any luck on your post resurrection memories?” Stiles didn’t know what would be worse, him remembering and rejecting Stiles when he was in his right mind, or him never knowing the type of affection he had shown.

Derek shook his head and Stiles sighed, he didn’t know if it was of relief of grief. Either way, he moved on.

“The second order of business is Peter,” Stiles stated, “Have you spoken to Scott or Argent?”

Derek shook his head.

“Okay, well, Peter was working with Kate,” Stiles explained, “He wanted Scott’s alpha spark and thought teaming up with that bitch was the best way to do it, which is crazy. Speaking of crazy, they institutionalized him. He’s now in Eichen House’s supernatural wing. Scott told me before I came here.”

Derek took a moment to absorb the information before saying, “Good. It’s where he belongs. He can’t hurt anyone in there.”

He was probably crazy for thinking this, but Stiles thought there was an unspoken  _ he can’t hurt you _ hanging in the air, but normal Derek didn’t feel that way, only feral Derek. And to be honest feral Derek felt that way a bit too much.

“Okay, then I guess that’s everything.” Derek gave him an awkward nod which Stiles took as a dismissal, so he turned to the door and left.

Derek’s heart clenched as he saw Stiles leave and he wasn’t quite sure why. No, that was a lie. He knew why. He remembered everything that happened in Mexico in vivid detail.

He reached under his pillow and pulled out the memento he took (which he wasn’t proud of). He brought Stiles’ jock strap up to his nose and took a big whiff.

Normally this would disgust him, but instead it made the wolf inside him purr. Ever since he came back as a full shift alpha, his wolf had been closer to the surface and more in control and the wolf wanted Stiles.

To be honest, his wolf had always wanted Stiles since he caught the teen trespassing and talking about werewolves. To be even more honest, his wolf had wanted the boy since he first scented him through the seemingly endless smell of fire and ash and flesh that permeated the sheriff’s station that night.

The boy’s scent had a calming effect, as did his constant blabbering. He knew he should be annoyed at this kid who just couldn’t shut up, knew he should be upset or grieving or something. Instead, he lay his head in the boy’s lap and fell asleep to the rhythm of his voice.

It took a while for Derek to piece together that the kid and the teen were one and the same, but his wolf always knew- he just didn’t listen. Now he had no choice  _ but  _ to listen.

The wolf was hollering at him to lay his claim, saying he had been waiting long enough. But Stiles was still in high school, just got dumped from his first relationship, and was just starting to find his place in the supernatural world. So he would wait and the wolf would just have to deal with that. It was what was best for Stiles, surely that was something both his human and wolf side could both agree upon.

That Saturday, Scott called for a pack meeting… at Derek’s loft. Normally he wouldn’t mind that, but his new alpha instincts were telling him another alpha was encroaching on his territory and trying to take over his den. His hackles were raised the whole time and the pack clearly noticed. The wide berth they were giving him did not help matters in the slightest. The only one who seemed unaffected by it was Stiles. He was a constant, soothing presence at Derek’s side.

“Okay, I think the first order of business is how to have a pack with two alphas.” Scott said once everyone had arrived.

“It can’t be done.” Derek growled.

“What do you mean it can’t be done?” Stiles asked, “The alpha pack did it with multiple alphas.”

“And there was still a dominant alpha,” Derek explained, “Despite them all having an alpha spark, Deucalion was still the Alpha of the pack. The others submitted to him. In order for this to work one of us is going to have to submit to the other. Otherwise we need to create two packs and draw territory lines.”

Scott got tense at the mention of the two options. His eyes flickered to the little space between Derek and Stiles. It was clear he was unsure who his best friend would choose if they were to split, but it was clear he didn’t like the idea of submitting.

“I’m a true alpha, so I’m staying in control of the pack.”

Malia scoffed, “That’s bogus. This whole true alpha thing is bogus.”

Everyone looked at her and Lydia raised an eyebrow for her to continue, “I heard Peter in Mexico. The alpha power isn’t yours. It was Hale power. Derek sacrificed his spark and you were around to pick it up. Deaton just called you a true alpha to give you a big head. This is Hale land and Derek is the Hale alpha. If anything, going from a dead human to a living alpha proves that Derek is more of a true alpha than anyone.”

Derek smirked. Malia was one that always rubbed him the wrong way, but right now he was really enjoying her brutal honesty and lack of tact. Her years as a coyote gave her an intrinsic trust of her instincts and her animal side, and the others would do well to listen to her while discussing new pack dynamics.

“Hold on, we’re actually listening to Peter now?” Scott asked.

“As much as I hate Peter, and believe me, I do,” Lydia started, “He does know more about the supernatural than we do and Deaton has proven to only be a reliable source when he wants to be. Peter’s explanation as to how you got that spark makes a lot more sense than you just willing yourself to become an alpha. The power had to come from somewhere.”

“So if Scott submits to Derek,” Stiles said, thinking out loud, “But he’s still an alpha, does that make him the second?”

“He would be more than a second,” Derek explained, “The second would still answer to him, same as the left hand. But at the end of the day, I would have final say on any pack matters.”

Scott glared at him, “I am not going to submit to anyone.”

“Well I don’t want the pack to split up!” Stiles exclaimed.

“Why don’t we put it to a vote,” Lydia suggested, “We can do it anonymously, so there’s no hurt feelings. The alpha with the least number of votes submits to the other.”

The alphas begrudgingly agreed and Kira grabbed a bowl, paper, and pens and distributed them to the pack. After everyone put their papers in the bowl, Lydia grabbed it and started reading.

“Derek, Scott, Derek, Derek, Derek, Scott, Derek,” She read, “Well, looks like we have our reigning alpha.” She said with a smile.

Derek wasn’t kidding himself, he knew he was a terrible alpha his first time around. But he felt like he had really grown since then. And to be honest, Scott wasn’t really that great of an alpha. He never checked up on Stiles, his packmate and supposed best friend, after the possession. He failed to notice his training techniques didn’t work for Liam or Malia. He also refused to do what needed to be done in order to keep his pack and territory safe. So all in all, he thought the pack made the right choice.

He knew that Scott was new to all of this and, given the time and no threats, he would learn to be a great alpha. But that wasn’t what the pack needed right now.

“At least you had my back, babe.” Scott smiled as he pulled Kira closer. However, instead of cuddling in, Kira was stiff and uncomfortable.

“I was the other one who voted for you.” Liam confessed.

And that was unexpected and awkward. Scott looked so taken aback and betrayed. Derek felt bad for him. A wolf’s mate was supposed to stand by his side, especially the alpha’s mate.

He didn’t know Kira that well, but she struck him as someone who had strong convictions. If she truly believed Scott wasn’t the right fit for head alpha, she wasn’t going to compromise her beliefs for his feelings. Derek respected that, it was a good quality to have. Hopefully Scott would be able to get past the initial hurt and see what a quality girl he had.

“I need some air.” Scott said as he got up and left the loft. Shortly after that, Derek could hear the sound of Scott’s bike rev up and drive away.

Derek broke the silence, “Before we end for the night- Stiles, is there anything you want to say?”

Derek worded his question that way intentionally so that Stiles would be able to lie if he wanted to.

“Nope. Nothing from me.” And it turned out he wasn’t ready to share, and that was okay. It wasn’t like Stiles was confessing that he was a wolf or a witch or something. He was basically saying he was part god… or a minor god? It wasn’t really clear. 

But Stiles wanted a little more time as a human. Derek maybe couldn’t relate, but he could understand. Once the pack knew, they might ask him to use his abilities, which would bring down those who were hunting him to Beacon Hills. He wanted to avoid that for as long as possible.

“Okay, then meeting’s over,” Derek declared, “But we should probably have some pack bonding. Pick out a movie. I’ll order pizza. Someone text Scott and ask if he wants to join.”

Derek excused himself into the kitchen area. He had been working on fixing it up, but it wasn’t really good enough for him to make enough food for the pack, so he pulled out his phone and ordered a bunch of pizzas for delivery. When he turned back around, he saw Stiles standing behind him. He hadn’t heard Stiles’ approach, but then again he hadn’t really been listening for anything.

“Thank you.” Was all Stiles said.

“It’s just a couple pizzas,” Derek said, feigning confusion, “Not a big deal.” He gave Stiles a wink before heading back to the group.

“What are we watching?” He asked as he and Stiles settled back into the love seat.

“Stiles is making us watch Star Wars.” Liam gripped.

“You’ve never seen it!” Stiles exclaimed, “This needs to be rectified.”

“As long as we start with episode four.” Derek commented, and Stiles’ triumphant look made it all worth it.

“The alpha has spoken!” Stiles got up to put the movie in. When he came back, he curled up into Derek’s side, much closer than he had been before. He didn’t know if Stiles noticed or not, but Derek wasn’t complaining. When the pizza came he made someone else get it because he was much too content to be bothered to get up.

They ended up watching the original trilogy and by the end of it, Stiles and Derek fell asleep in each other’s arms.


	3. Theo

The summer past rather dully. Thankfully Scott got over being buthurt about the whole alpha situation and actually attended pack get togethers, though his and Kira’s relationship was rather rocky.

Stiles still hadn’t told anyone about his true parentage, but he felt good about that. He was okay staying the pack’s token human, although Mason seemed to be taking that position from him.

He kept track of the message board, but after Mexico no one seemed to know where he went. He learned his Dad’s username, so he knew false information was placing him in China. He also identified another username that frequently collaborated with his dad and he highly suspected it was Derek. It warmed something in him to know the alpha was protecting him behind the scenes.

They hadn’t talked about what happened in Mexico- Stiles didn’t even know if Derek remembered. But he couldn’t help but think it meant something. Derek’s wolf chose him. His instincts told him to protect Stiles. Not only to protect him, but also to sex him up. Stiles wouldn’t be opposed to it as long as it was completely consensual and not brought on by feral brain.

Stiles pulled up to the high school. It was dark, but he saw the silhouettes of other seniors making their way inside. He got out of the jeep and met up with Lydia, Scott, Kira, and Malia before heading inside the library.

There was a tradition that every year the seniors would leave their initials somewhere in the school and their class chose the library. When it was his turn, he saw a D.H. on the shelf. It looked older than the other initials around it and it made him think of Derek. He knew this couldn’t be the older man’s initials because he didn’t get his senior year at Beacon Hills, but that didn’t stop him from dreaming and wondering what it could mean having their initials next to each other like that.

When they were done the five of them hung around the parking lot for a bit, reminiscing on where they had been at the beginning of high school and how much had changed since then. They weren’t the same people anymore, and Stiles thought all those changes were for the better.

They started walking while they were talking and soon rain started to fall. They ran under a bridge, but then Scott and Malia stiffened.

“What’s wrong?” Stiles asked, “What’s going on?”

“There’s something out there.” Malia growled.

“I think it’s a wolf.” Scott said as he moved into his beta shift.

“I’m not sensing anything.” Lydia’s words were a comfort. No matter what happened no one would die that night. Kira drew her sword regardless.

Then they saw it. Glowing yellow eyes coming closer. Kira, Scott, and Malia moved in front of Stiles and Lydia to protect them from the threat, though in truth Stiles hardly needed that.

Then the mystery werewolf stepped into the light and there was something familiar about him.

“Who are you?” Scott asked while flashing his eyes. He was using his alpha voice and totally posturing. In any other situation it would have made Stiles laugh.

“I guess I have changed a lot since the fourth grade.” The wolf said as his eyes turned from gold into a more human brown.

“Theo?” Scott asked as he changed back from beta shift.

“You know this guy?” Malia asked.

“Yeah, it’s been a long time,” Scott said, “How did you…” He trailed off. None of them really knew the etiquette around werewolf bites.

“I was bitten not too long ago,” Theo explained, “My alpha died before my first full moon and have been an omega ever since. I heard about a pack in Beacon Hills led by an alpha McCall. I thought there was no way it could be Scott, but I had to see for myself and if it was true, see if I could finally be a part of a pack.”

Stiles looked Theo up and down, but there were more differences between him and the fourth grader he remembered than just age and supernatural status. There was a darkness in him, he could just tell. He felt something similar with Matt two years ago and he felt it with Jennifer. He hadn’t been wrong yet, and there was something off with Theo. Even with the doubt, he couldn't shake the sense of familiarity, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t place the face.

“We’ll discuss it and get back to you.” Stiles chimed in.

“What’s to discuss?” Theo asked, “Your alpha is right here.”

“He’s the second alpha,” Stiles asserted, “Final decisions go through Alpha Hale.”

He could tell Theo was thrown. That was good, it meant there were things Theo didn’t know and they would be able to catch him off guard if it came to that.

Scott was bristling at the mention of him not being in charge, but that didn’t matter. Stiles knew Derek would listen to his instincts, whereas Scott tried to look for the good in someone no matter what. Don’t get him wrong, Stiles thought that was an amazing quality, but not really one you want in a leader. They voted well that night.

“Give us your number so we can set up a meeting for you to state your case.” Stiles nodded for Scott to take out his phone and exchange the information. As second alpha this was Scott’s job and Stiles did not want Theo anywhere near his phone.

Once that was done, the seniors made their way back to the parking lot. The rain had lightened up a little, but it was still coming down.

“What are you thinking?” Lydia asked as the two of them fell behind the others.

“I don’t trust him,” Stiles responded, “He wants something, and it’s not to be part of a pack.”

Lydia nodded, “I was getting a similar feeling. There was no imminent death that would make me scream, but there was a darkness, like one move and I wouldn’t be able to stop.”

He was glad he wasn’t alone in this theory and with two of the pack advising in this direction, Derek would have more of a case to reject Theo.

“Why are you so suspicious of this guy?” Malia asked when they got back to the school parking lot.

“Because,” Stiles started, “I remember Theo from fourth grade, okay? That is not Theo.”

Scott looked at him like he was crazy, but thankfully didn’t argue. They just all got into their respective vehicles and started driving towards the loft. Before heading out he sent Derek a message to expect them and to call the rest of the pack over. This was going to be a long night.

When Derek saw a text from Stiles, his wolf started excitedly dancing around. He had to work to calm it back down to look over the text. There was a hint of disappointment when he saw Stiles was calling for an emergency pack meeting instead of just coming over to hang out, but this- whatever this was- needed to be dealt with.

It’s not like they hadn’t gotten to hang out one on one at all. In fact, Stiles spent most of the summer at the loft. He claimed it was because Scott was always working, but Derek heard the tick in his heartbeat that signified the lie. He never called Stiles on it, though, just enjoyed the time they had together.

He shook his head free of the thoughts of the past few months and turned his focus back on the present. He sent a text to the younger pack members and set about making a pot of coffee. Like alcohol, the caffeine didn’t really affect him, but he knew the human members- not just Stiles- would appreciate it.

He heard the cars pull up and the seniors start ascending the stairs, so he knew when to open the door for them. They grabbed coffee and got settled while they waited for the rest of the pack to show up.

Once everyone was there, Derek asked, “So what the hell is going on?”

“An old friend showed up,” Scott started, “He’s an omega werewolf, recently bitten. I say he joins the pack.”

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” Interrupted Stiles, “I don’t think it’s Theo. And even if it was him, we haven’t seen him since the fourth grade. That’s too much of a time gap for us to just blindly trust him!”

“And it’s also too much of a time gap for you to automatically say it’s not him!” Scott yelled.

“Everybody calm down.” Derek growled while flashing his eyes, “Pack etiquette says I need to sit down with anyone wanting to join the pack and hear them out. I can bring my second and my left hand to this meeting and we make the decision together.”

“Who’s the left hand?” Malia asked right before Liam said, “What is a left hand?”

“Where the second is more a political advisor and the one to take over if the alpha dies, the left hand is a military advisor of sorts.” Derek explained.

“So who is it?” Malia asked again.

Derek looked them all over. He hadn’t actually assigned this position yet. He knew Stiles would be a wonderful left hand, but it was abnormal for a human to have that position, so if other packs or hunters caught wind of Stiles’ position in the pack, they would know he was something.

The only other person who could feasibly be the left hand was Malia, but she was too instinct driven. Her coyote side would win out against forming a strategic plan.

“Stiles, would you like to be the left hand?” Giving him the choice was the best option. With how much research Stiles did, he would know the risks and be able to weigh them himself. If he said no, then Malia would have the position officially, but Stiles would operate in a heavily advisory capacity whenever a new threat came up.

“Yes, I will be the left hand.” Stiles answered after some thought.

“Then it’s settled,” Derek nodded, “Scott, set up a meeting. Somewhere on neutral ground. I don’t want an outsider in the loft. If we decided to bring him in, then he can come here, but only after the decision has been made and the pack bonds are in place.”

Scott nodded and then began to type away on his phone, presumably texting this Theo guy.

“The rest of you can leave, but I want to talk to Stiles more about his new position in the pack.”

That was partially true, they did need to talk that over. But even more so he needed to know why Stiles felt so strongly against Theo without prying ears around.

Slowly the pack started filtering out until it was just Derek and Stiles. They waited in silence until everyone was out of earshot.

“What’s going on?” Derek asked.

“I don’t know,” Stiles answered honestly, “He just showed up claiming to be this childhood friend, but my gut says not to trust him. I’ve been right too many times to ignore that.”

“Do you think he knows what you are?” He tried to hide his panic, but Stiles could always see right through him.

“I’m not sure. He seemed more focused on Scott than the rest of us, but I think that’s because he thought Scott was the only alpha. He didn’t seem to know about you at all.”

“That’s good. I’ll hear him out tomorrow and no matter what decision we come to, we’ll keep a close eye on him. This is too much of a coincidence for my liking.”

Stiles huffed a little laugh, “Yeah, you and me both.”

“Is your dad working tonight?” Derek asked.

“Yeah, he has the night shift all week.”

“Then you’re staying here.” His tone left no room for argument, so of course Stiles felt the need to argue anyway.

“What the hell?” Stiles asked, “I’ve spent the night on my own for like, half my life. I’ll be fine.”

“You shouldn’t have had to do that,” Derek argued, “Also, this time, there’s someone new in town. Until we know if he’s a threat or not, you are either staying with me or with your dad.”

“Ugh, fine, but I get the bed.” Stiles glared him down, daring him to challenge him on that.

Derek smirked, “Hope you like to share.”

He let his instincts take over a bit and stripped down to his boxers in front of Stiles before walking over to the bed and climbing under the covers.

“Well are you coming?” He called out to a stunned Stiles.

“Oh, um, yeah.” Derek heard the rustling of clothes and then Stiles was climbing into bed, also in just his boxers.

“You can borrow some clothes for school tomorrow so you don’t have to worry about running home in the morning.” Derek was inwardly preening at the thought of Stiles wrapped up in his scent, both from spending the night together and from wearing his clothes.

“Are you purring?” Stiles asked. And Derek realized he had been, or whatever the wolf equivalent was.

“Shut up.”

Stiles shrugged and tucked his hand under the pillow and froze. Derek froze as well. He knew what was hiding under there. It was so stupid of him not to get rid of it before inviting Stiles into his bed.

“Is this a jock strap?” Stiles asked.

“Um…”

Stiles pulled it out, “Wait, is this mine? You took it?”

“Go to sleep, Stiles.” He growled as he pulled it out of Stiles’ hand and tossed it to the side.

“Whatever you say, Sourwolf.” And then Stiles was snuggling into Derek’s side.

He knew he would hear the jokes and criticisms later, but for now he would just enjoy having Stiles with him and his fresh scent surrounding him. It was so calming that he was asleep in an instant.


	4. Anchor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for reading. I appreciate you all so much.
> 
> As always comments and kudos are appreciated, let me know what you think of the story as it develops. ;)

Stiles woke up slowly. He hadn’t slept this well since before the nogitsune. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find he wasn’t in his room. It was then that he realized his head wasn’t resting on a pillow, but something harder.

_ Derek’s chest _ , his mind supplied.

He looked up and saw the wolf was still asleep. He tried to slowly get out of bed without disturbing him, but Derek just tightened his hold on Stiles. Because of his position he couldn’t check the time, but based on the sun shining through the window, he was going to be late to school unless he got out of bed right now.

“Derek,” Stiles whispered, but the man didn’t stir, “Derek come one!” Stiles said a little louder as he started shaking him.

Finally Derek started blinking awake, “Stiles?” He sounded so confused and Stiles tried not to think about how cute that was.

“Yeah, you practically forced me into your bed last night.” Stiles joked, but the look of panic on Derek’s face made him realize his mistake, “You did not force me, big guy. I could have left or slept on the couch or whatever.”

But now Derek had a look of panic for a whole new reason and Stiles didn’t know what that was.

“Look, as much as I’d love to unpack whatever is going on in your head, I have school.” And Derek’s panicking continued. What the hell?

So Stiles decided to put that in the back of his mind and get ready for the day. He checked his phone and saw he only had half an hour before his first class started. He decided to forgo a shower and just went straight for Derek’s dresser for some clothes for the day and then he quickly made toast which he ate as he ran out the door.

What the hell was going on with Derek? One minute he was saving Stiles’ jockstrap for god knows what, and the next he was panicking because, what, they shared a bed? At Derek’s insistence?

He did not have time for whatever drama that was, he had to get to school so he could finish school. Oh yeah, and to figure out where and when they were meeting Theo.

Ugh, that guy was probably going to be at school with them today and would want to hang out with them. Stiles hated that since this was a guy they knew before and that they were now all supernatural that would mean he was automatically in the pack. The arrogance of that guy.

When he pulled up to the school, finding a parking space turned out to be a hardship. He ground his teeth when he saw Scott’s bike taking up an entire spot when it was such a limited resource. The city should really look into expanding the school’s parking lot considering how many people attended. 

He ended up parking on the street and praying he didn’t get a ticket. Then he ran all the way across the parking lot and made it to his first class just as the bell was ringing.

Unfortunately none of his friends were in this class with him. He scanned the room for an open seat and clenched his jaw when he saw Theo had saved a seat for him in the back.

“How did you know I’d be here?” Stiles asked as he sat down.

“I didn’t,” Theo answered, “But I was hoping someone from the pack would be. I want to get to know you guys and let you know me. I want to be pack.”

“That’s what you say you want, but what do you really want?”

Before Theo could answer, their teacher started class. It was a boring day, mostly just going over syllabi in each class, and thankfully first period was the only one he had to deal with Theo alone. As predicted Theo sat with them at lunch. Stiles wanted to tell him to go away, but Scott was excited and adamant that he stayed.

Much to his dismay, Theo seemed to be focused primarily on him. He could have been eating up the attention of Scott and Liam. Even Malia seemed interested in him, even if that seemed to be in a more carnal way. And wow, it was weird to see his ex looking at someone like that. But if she’s moved on, maybe that means it’s okay for him to move on, too…

But anyway, back to Theo, who was looking at Stiles the same way Malia was looking at him. It was creepy and unsettling. Stiles hated it so much that he just got up and took his lunch tray with him. He ended up eating outside on the lacrosse bleachers. He took out his phone to text Derek about what had happened so far, but then he realized his phone died. It hadn’t been charging while he was at Derek’s and he was dealing with the consequences now.

And speaking of consequences, “So this is where you ran off to.” Theo said.

“Go away.” Stiles grumbled.

“Now why would I do that?” He asked as he sat down next to Stiles. Too close, he noted.

“Because I don’t want you here.”

“What would it take for me to change your mind?” Theo moved even closer, if that were possible. He looked the wolf in the eyes and saw nothing but a predator looking back at him and he was the prey.

Derek was in shock. He and Stiles had shared a bed together. And now Stiles was off at school wearing his scent for all the wolves to smell. The humans would also notice the dark, ill fitting clothes and know they didn’t belong to Stiles.

Derek smiled to himself. He had marked his territory in a way without breaking any boundaries and laws. He couldn’t wait until Stiles graduated so he could mark his territory in other ways. While he was in the shower he let that thought run away with him. It felt so good, but he knew it was nothing like the real thing would be.

When he got out, he sent a text to Scott asking where and when the meeting with Theo would be and then he started making lunch. He had gotten a late start to the day and his stomach was feeling it.

As he ate, he couldn’t help feeling something was wrong. There was an uneasiness, but there was nothing around him to make him feel this way. He decided to go for a run to clear his head.

He went into the preserve and started stripping. He folded his clothes and hid them in some bushes before shifting into his wolf form. This was his first time shifting of his own free will and he wasn’t even sure if it would work. His first few tries were unsuccessful, which angered him. This was good, because anger was his anchor. He focused on that and waited for the change to take over, but it never did.

His anchor changed? When the hell did this happen?

He tried to think of what his anchor could be now. First he tried to think of pack and family, but that didn’t work. Then he tried to focus on individual pack bonds. He thought of Cora first since she was both pack and family. If any individual was going to be his anchor she would be the most obvious choice.

When that didn’t work, he moved on to Isaac. He was the first beta he bit, so it was possible he was Derek’s anchor. But just like with Cora, nothing happened. Maybe it was because neither one of them was pack anymore. Cora chose to go back to South America and Isaac chose to become an omega and go with Chris to France. Now that he was thinking about it, why didn’t Isaac come back when Chris did?

Derek shook his head, those were questions for another day. Today he needed to figure out how to shift. He switched his focus back to finding his new anchor. It had to be something that he thought about frequently, since he wasn’t losing control all the time. What was something that consumed his thoughts?

And then it came to him-  _ Stiles! _ Ever since Kate deaged him in Mexico, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Stiles. When he was younger his anchor had been family, so it was jarring when he found out ( _ again _ ) that they were gone, but it didn’t make him lose control. He knew that was entirely because Stiles was with him every step of the way.

Even when he came back as a wolf that had been because of Stiles. Stiles was the one who brought him back and his scent was all over Derek when he woke up. It had been so overwhelming that the only thing he could focus on was Stiles’ scent. It calmed him in the chaos of coming back- it was his anchor in the storm.

Derek let thoughts of Stiles consume him and the next thing he knew, he was a wolf. It hadn’t even hurt like he’d expected it to. It had almost felt like he had left his body and entered one of a wolf, but he knew it was  _ his _ body.

He took off through the woods, just enjoying the freedom of his new form. He bounded around, chasing rabbits and other small prey, never catching them even though it would be easy. He was having  _ fun _ for the first time in forever.

But then the sinking feeling entered again and he couldn’t shake it. So he followed the feeling until he was at the treeline at the edge of the highschool. He was looking out at the lacrosse field and saw two students on the bleachers.

He immediately identified one at Stiles, but couldn’t place the second. A gust of wind brought his scent to Derek and it set his teeth on edge; a wolf. This must be the mysterious Theo. Derek did not like how close he was to Stiles and from the looks of it, Stiles didn’t like it either.

Then Theo had the  _ audacity _ to move closer! Derek growled and Theo- the bastard- smirked. He knew exactly what he was doing to Stiles and he knew exactly what he was doing to Derek. Suddenly Stiles jumped up, saying something about getting to class, but Theo was quick to follow after him, even going so far as to place his hand on the small of Stiles’ back.

That was the final straw. This guy clearly had no sense for boundaries and would just take what he wanted. Derek had no room for that in his pack. He would hear Theo out, as was mandated of him, but there was absolutely no way Theo was joining the pack. He would be lucky if Derek didn’t run him off his territory.

He gave one last glare at the retreating pair before slinking back to the loft through the preserve. He had a meeting to get ready for and he was going to make a powerful first impression.


	5. Approval

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as I was writing this a pipe burst next door and the street is now flooding. It will be a frozen lake soon.
> 
> Anyway, I love hearing from you via comments and kudos! Let me know what you think!

“Hey,” Scott said as they were leaving school, “Can you give Theo a ride to the clinic? He doesn’t have a car.”

“Why can’t he ride on the back of your bike?” Stiles asked.

“Why would he do that when he could go in a car?” Scott countered, “Oh hey, side note, why are you wearing Derek’s clothes?”

“I spent the night,” Stiles shrugged, “Needed something to wear.”

“Well it’s weird,” Scott insisted, “It’s like he draped this big banner around you that says ‘property of Derek Hale.’ Any wolf could smell it.”

“Well one clearly didn’t,” Stiles grumbled, “Tell Theo he can find his own way to the clinic!”

He started sprinting across the parking lot to try and get to his car before Theo could catch up with him. There was no way he was letting this guy get anywhere near Roscoe.

When he approached his car, he saw none other than Theo Fucking Raeken leaning against his beloved jeep.

“Ready to head out?” Theo asked.

“There is no way I’m letting you in my car.” Stiles growled.

Theo laughed, “With a growl like that people would start to doubt that you’re the human of the pack.”

The way he said human made it sound like it was something superior to wolves and that Stiles was lowering himself, but that didn’t make sense- Theo was a wolf, too.

“Well, I’m also the left hand, so you do not want to piss me off.” Stiles glared.

“Or what?” Stiles wished he could use his newfound abilities and wipe Theo off the face of the earth, but he knew in the end that would cause more problems than solutions, so he bit his tongue and climbed in the jeep while Theo got in the passenger side.

The drive to the animal clinic was filled with a stilted silence that for once Stiles had no desire to fill it. He had absolutely nothing to say to the man next to him.

He glanced over and saw Theo’s brown eyes staring back at him… brown, something was nagging at the back of his mind, but he didn’t know what it was. It was that feeling of wrongness that hadn’t gone away since Theo’s random return, but he didn’t know what was causing it.

Finally they reached their destination. Scott’s bike and the camero were already parked in the back. Stiles pulled the jeep next to the camaro and couldn’t help smiling at it as memories of Derek’s overprotectiveness the night before and the fact that he was still wearing Derek’s clothes. He didn’t know what was going on between him and that man, but he hoped it was  _ something. _

“Gross, you’re stinking up the car over some dumb car?” Stiles flipped him off and then started heading inside with Theo close on his heels.

Derek was the first thing he saw when they entered the back room, and what a sight. He was wearing a tight white t-shirt that had to be as tight, if not tighter, than the cousin Miguel shirt. Over that he had a leather jacket that was more form-fitted than the one he usually wore. And then his pants- oh god his pants! They were the tightest black jeans Stiles had ever seen. Was Derek’s junk ok in those jeans? But they accentuated his bubble butt so well that it had Stiles salivating. He looked intimidating, but in a model on a billboard way and Stiles was totally on board with this look.

Then he heard a deep inhale behind him and he was brought back to the present. He took a big step away from Theo, which coincidentally ended up being towards Derek. It was then that he noticed that Derek had been growling and glaring at Theo. Derek grabbed Stiles and pulled him into his chest.

“Alright,” Derek started, “We’re here. What do you have to say for yourself.”

Normally Stiles would roll his eyes and remind Derek that inflections existed, but in this case he liked the demanding nature of Derek and how little of a welcome he was actually giving Theo. He could tell it was rubbing Scott the wrong way, but that didn’t matter right now.

“I am currently an omega, packless,” Theo started, “I had to learn how to do this all alone. I found out about a pack that my old friends were in and came here hoping to find something I always knew I was lacking.” He looked right at Stiles as he said that last part and it made him sink further into Derek’s arms.

Derek was growling again when he said, “No.”

“Wait, we’re supposed to discuss this!” Scott exclaimed.

“Stiles and I both say no. That’s the majority vote.”

“But he hasn’t even said his vote!” Scott argued. Derek growled in response.

“Scott, I’ve been saying no since Theo showed up!” Stiles rolled his eyes, “You only hear what you want to hear and not what people are actually saying.”

“On what grounds are you saying no?” Theo asked, “It’s my understanding that there must be adequate grounds in order to deny a pack request.”

Stiles looked at Derek over his shoulder, wondering if that was true. If his glare was anything to go by than it was. Stiles’ feeling that something was wrong wasn’t enough to go off of, even if he was the left hand. He tried to think of some excuse they could use, but was coming up short.

Slowly, he saw red bleed into Derek’s eyes, “I deny you entrance into this pack because you made advances on the alpha’s mate.”

“He hasn’t hit on Kira!” For once Scott was right. Since he hadn’t done that, it couldn’t be used as a reason to deny entrance into the pack.

“I wasn’t talking about Kira.” If it was possible his eyes grew even more red as he pulled Stiles even closer, clearly stating his claim.

Understanding quickly dawned on Theo’s face while Scott was still lost in confusion. It was such a good thing they didn’t pick him as head alpha.

“He hadn’t been claimed,” Theo tried, “I didn’t know.”

“He was wearing my scent.” Derek asserted, and he was using that alpha voice Stiles loved so much! (Although he tried to hide how much he loved it since he was in a room full of werewolves).

“Do I have permission to stay in your territory while I finish school and when I visit for holidays after?” Theo asked, clearly seeing he had lost this battle.

“You may, as long as you do not step one toe out of line,” Derek stated, “We will be watching. Scott, drive him home.”

“I don’t have room-”

“Drive. Him.” With that, Scott and Theo were scurrying out of the room.

He hadn’t been planning on saying anything this soon, but it was the only socially acceptable way to keep Theo out of the pack. But now Stiles knew, and Stiles didn’t find out in some grand romantic way like Derek had wanted to do after Stiles graduated. They were stuck with this as the story for the big mate reveal.

“Your heartbeat didn’t change.” Was the first thing Stiles said after the others left. Derek slowly let him go, but didn’t respond to the statement, “Theo was listening for a lie, he would have known if it wasn’t true.”

Derek nodded, he didn’t have the words to tell Stiles everything he wanted to. He had never been great with words, that was more Laura’s area of expertise. He was more of a man of action, so he did the only thing he could think of- he grabbed Stiles and pulled him in for a kiss.

It was more forceful than he had intended it to be because of the way he pulled Stiles in, but soon it melted into something softer and more tender. There were moments of a little bit too much tongue of teeth, but those are problems that could be sorted out with time. Derek wouldn’t change this first kiss for anything.

“Wow,” Stiles whispered, “And I get to do that with you for the rest of my life.”

Hearing Stiles acknowledge that made his wolf hum with satisfaction. He held Stiles close, not wanting to let go now that he had him.

“Are you purring?” Stiles laughed. Normally a comment like that would have made him bristle, but he was just enjoying the glow of being accepted by his mate. 

“So what was that claiming thing Theo was talking about?” Stiles asked, “Because if it makes us closer and keeps creepers like Theo away, I’m totally on board.”

He had to pull his wolf back from excitement at the idea of Stiles wanting to be claimed. This was something they needed to talk about. Stiles needed to know what he was fully getting into before agreeing, and Derek would like the sheriff to be aware first as well.

“We’ll talk about that later,” Derek explained, “There’s a lot more to it than that.”

Stiles nodded, “I was planning on grabbing some dinner for my dad and eating with him. Would you like to join?”

“Yes!” Derek responded a little bit too quickly. He could feel his ears burning, but Stiles just smiled so sweetly.

“Text me what you want from the diner, I’ll meet you at the station,” Stiles then gave Derek a once over, “And while I absolutely love that outfit, you may want to change before meeting the future in-law.”

Derek’s blush deepened as he looked at the tight ensemble he had worn purely for Stiles’ benefit, “You’re probably right.”

“Maybe you should wear that red sweater,” Stiles suggested, “You know, the one with the thumb holes? It’s so wholesome, my dad can’t say no to our relationship when you look so cute!”

Derek followed Stiles instructions and texted him his order, a burger with curly fries (and if he ended up giving Stiles his curly fries that was nobody else’s business), then he went home and changed into loose jeans and the aforementioned red sweater. If Stiles liked it that was good enough for him.

When he pulled up to the station’s visitor’s lot, the jeep was nowhere to be seen. He debated for a bit if he should wait for Stiles, but decided he needed to speak to the sheriff privately first. He was surprised when no one stopped him on his way back to the sheriff’s office, but he figured he and the rest of the pack must have been here so much that it was considered normal by this point.

He knocked on the already open door and Noah looked up and smiled, “Derek, it’s good to see you. What brings you by?”

“Um, well,” Derek tried, “Stiles invited me, but I wanted to speak with you before he got here.”

Noah smiled, “Is this about what’s going on between you two?”

Derek gaped.

“It’s not that hard to figure out, you’re not as subtle as you think,” He gestured for Derek to sit and he complied, “I still want you to say what you came here to, but I think it might be a little easier if I tell you I already approve.”

“You do?” Derek asked.

“Yes. You’ve helped protect Stiles’ secret, I’ve seen you on the message board. You figured out what was happening with the nogitsune and helped save him from that. And he’s saved you, too. I’ve seen the way you look at each other when the other isn’t looking. You’re good for each other. You make him happy and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“It doesn’t bother you that I’m older?” Derek asked.

“No, because I know you, Derek,” The sheriff responded, “You care about him too much to cross any boundaries he doesn’t want you to cross. If anything, I’m more scared of him pressuring you.”

“Stiles is my mate,” Derek explained, “Every wolf has one, but we don’t necessarily find them. If we do, it’s for life.”

“I hadn’t known that for sure,” The sheriff said slowly, “But I figured it was something like that. Stiles is a go big or go home kind of person. I can already tell that he loves you, even if he hasn’t figured that out himself yet. I’m glad you two will always have each other. But don’t think that this magical mates thing means smooth sailing. Relationships are hard work.”

“I know, sir, and I will try every day to do right by Stiles.”

Noah smiled, “I know you will.”


	6. Void

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I love this chapter so much and I hope you do, too. Also, I made my first mood board! But my attempts to insert it aren't working, so tips would be appreciated because I would love to share it with you!
> 
> I love hearing from you, so comments/kudos are appreciated.

Stiles went to get the food, but ended up having to wait until it was ready because he had been too distracted to order ahead. It wasn’t his fault, Derek had been all… well _Derek_ and he had been dressed like _that_ and then he had _kissed_ him and called him his _mate_! Stiles had a right to be distracted by the wonderfulness of his life in that moment.

He also was busy celebrating the fact that Theo wasn’t in the pack and was going to stop being a creeper because he was _Derek’s_ and that meant no one else could touch him. He got so lost in his daydreams that he didn’t notice time pass and soon the food was ready. He paid, thanked the server, and took the food out to the jeep.

He parked next to the camaro and noticed Derek wasn’t in his car. That sent panic through Stiles because if he wasn’t there then that meant he was already inside. With his dad. Alone. After they had just established they were mates. And despite what he thought, Derek couldn’t be secretive or subtle to save his life. This was bad.

He knew they had talked about telling his dad, or, well, touched on it. But they hadn’t said when or how they were going to do that, and he had assumed it would be as a ‘we.’

Stiles smiled, they were a ‘we’! He was part of a ‘we’ with Derek!

He shook that thought as he moved inside the station. He quickly greeted the deputies as he made his way to his dad’s office and sure enough Derek was sitting in there with his father.

“I know you will.” He heard his dad say, but he had no context about what he was referring to. He debated waiting outside just to overhear their conversation, but ultimately he knew stopping it would be the less embarrassing option, so he just barreled in and started handing out the food. He was happily surprised when Derek started sneaking curly fries onto his plate.

“So, Stiles, is there anything you want to tell me?” From the way he said it, he could tell the sheriff already knew.

“Derek and I are mates and with that revelation we are going to start seeing each other,” Stiles started, “Oh, and keep an eye on Theo Raeken. Dude’s a wolf and he’s got the creep factor. Like, almost worse than Peter.” He paused a bit in thought, “Definitely worse than Peter.”

“Ok, I’ll keep an eye out, but you stay safe.”

Stiles nodded in response until he realized his dad’s eyes were flicking back and forth between himself and Derek.

“Wait, you mean you’re okay with that as long as we’re careful?” Stiles asked. His eyes went wide as his father smirked and Derek blushed, “You two talked about this?”

“Not in those exact terms,” Derek said, “And he just said he approved of the relationship. We didn’t mention anything about sex.”

“Yup, this is going exactly how I’d imagined it.” The sheriff laughed.

When they’d finished with dinner, Derek and Stiles walked back to their cars.

“So, what now?” Stiles asked.

“Well, you’re dad’s still working, and I don’t like the idea of you being alone.”

Stiles smirked, “So we can head back to your place?”

“No,” Stiles deflated a little at that answer, “We’ll go back to yours. You probably have school work to get done and that way you’ll be home when your father gets back.”

“It was the first day,” Stiles stated, “There was no homework. The only teacher who would be that cruel was Harris and he was killed by one of your ex’s. Probably the only good thing she did…”

Derek just shook his head and got in the camaro. He waited until Stiles was ready before taking off to his house. When they got there, though, Scott’s bike was waiting out front and he was sitting on the front porch.

Stiles pulled into the driveway and got out of the jeep. He saw Derek park across the street and he was leaving his car as well.

“What are you doing here, Scott?” Stiles asked.

“After the weirdness of today I thought we could hang out like old times.” This tugged at Stiles’ heart. Since all of this started, the only thing he had wanted was to maintain his friendship with Scott, but he kept pulling away no matter how hard Stiles tried. He knew Scott wasn’t reaching out for the right reasons, but he couldn’t pass this up.

“Do you mind if Derek joins us?” He knew this had the potential to explode, and he didn’t want it to. But he had just gotten Derek and if Scott couldn’t handle them together, then that would be all the answer he needed.

Scott gave a tight lipped smile that showed his displeasure, but he answered with a quick, “Sure.” So Stiles opened the door and the three of them went in.

They started by playing halo, but soon Scott was complaining that he was hungry and insisted Stiles do something about it, despite the fact that he and Derek had already eaten and had told Scott numerous times.

Derek stepped out of the room to order a pizza for the other wolf when Scott turned to Stiles and said, “I still don’t get how you two could bully Theo like that. I mean, he just wanted friends and it’s not like you and Derek are really together. You aren’t even gay, dude.”

And just like that Stiles saw red, “How dare you,” he yelled, “I came out to you so many times! Remember when we would watch Aladdin and you would comment on how pretty princess Jasmine was and I would agree, but also bring up the fact that Aladdin had great abs? Or in junior high when I hit on Jackson? That’s the real reason he hates me, not all the Lydia stuff. And all the questions I asked Danny about whether or not I was attractive to gay guys? I never hid the fact that I’m bi, you just chose to ignore it because it didn’t fit your image of me. If you can’t handle the real me then get the fuck out of my house.”

“Dude, not even your dad believed you, so you can’t blame me for that!” Scott exclaimed.

“My dad has been cool with my sexuality for years,” He shook his head in frustration, “That night outside of Jungle? He was joking. He’s busted me at that place so many times, he just likes giving me a hard time. That’s the kind of relationship we have and you know this. You’ve seen it. Why is this so hard for you?”

For the first time in what felt like a long time Scott was stunned into silence. It hurt that this was the way things were going. Just a year ago Stiles was helping his brother through a wolfsbane induced suicide attempt and not the divide couldn’t be more wide.

“It’s just, you’ve changed,” Scott tried, “You used to be so open and trusting.”

“Yeah well I grew up,” Stiles cried, “We got thrust into this new world and that’s my fault, I made you come out that night. But now there are hunters and rival packs and omegas and freakin nogitsunes. In this world we don’t have the luxury of blind trust. And when you find someone that you _can_ trust you hold onto it. That’s Derek for me,” Stiles gave a short laugh, “That’s such a small part of what Derek is to me, but we have each other’s backs way more than you’ve had mine since this started. I wish things were different, and I’ll be here when you’re ready. But I’m done picking up the scraps you leave me.”

Scott clenched his jaw, “I’ve always been here for you. I was here when your mom died, not Derek. And where was he after the nogitsune, huh? I was here for you!”

“Derek wasn’t in my life when my mom died!” Stiles yelled, “Looking at the timeline he was probably going through his own shit. And after the nogitsune? Kate kidnapped him and turned him back into a teenager! Or did your brain block that out too because it wasn’t convenient for you? Now you heard me, get out.”

Derek tried not to listen in on the fight in the next room, but with his enhanced hearing it made it hard not to, especially when the yelling started. He had never been fond of Scott and didn’t even try to hide it, but he tried to be civil for Stiles’ sake, even when he didn’t realize that was why. But hearing Stiles lay out how bad a friend Scott truly was made Derek’s wolf howl in rage. No one hurt his mate like that.

Before he knew it, the change was taking over and he blacked out to the sound of tearing clothes and the cries of his mate.

He came to surrounded by the feeling of raw power. He was on the floor on all fours and he was looking up at Stiles whose eyes had gone black. He turned around and saw Scott cowering in fear.

“Stiles,” Derek tried as he stood up, “Stiles you need to stop. Please, come back to me.”

It was the last sentence that had Stiles’ eyes fading back to their normal whisky brown and the energy of the room becoming less charged.

“What happened?” Stiles asked.

“The void.” Stiles’ eyes widened at Derek’s words. He could tell he was close to panicking, so Derek.

“Will they find me?” Stiles’ voice was filled with anxiety and it broke Derek’s heart.

“I don’t know,” He answered honestly, “When you’re feeling better I’ll check the message board and tell your father what happened. We have a plan in place for situations like this.”

He ran his hands up and down Stiles back in an attempt to comfort him. He was so focused on his mate, he forgot they were not alone.

“What the hell just happened?” Scott asked.

Derek heard the spike in Stiles’ heartbeat and knew this was too much for him. Even though the two had grown apart, he knew Stiles still cared for Scott and didn’t actually want to kill him like he had almost done.

“Why don’t you go upstairs and sleep it off?” Derek suggested.

Stiles looked at Derek and then at Scott before nodding and going upstairs. Derek waited until he heard the click of Stiles’ bedroom door before he started talking to Scott.

“You can’t tell anybody about what just happened here.” He said.

“I don’t even know what happened!” At least Scott had the decency to whisper.

“I’ve sworn not to tell anyone,” Derek started, “But Stiles isn’t human. He only just found out and is trying to figure out how his abilities work. But there are people searching for him who want to use him for their own personal gain. So no one can know and he can’t use his abilities or risk drawing attention to himself. Swear to be that you won’t tell.”

He knew it was cheating, but he let a little bit of his alpha voice slip in. Normally he wouldn’t use it in this way, but it was Stiles’ safety on the line and that wasn’t something he messed around with.

Scott nodded, “I swear, I won’t tell,” He turned to leave and got to the door before he turned back to Derek and said, “I do care about him, you know?”

“You have a funny way of showing it.” Derek stated. He hoped this was the wake up call Scott needed in order to mend their friendship instead of the beginning of the end.

He climbed the stairs and opened Stiles’ door to find him sitting on his bed, clutching his pillow. He looked up at Derek with tear-filled eyes.

“What did he say?” Stiles choked out.

Derek gave him a sad smile and climbed onto the bed with him. Stiles abandoned the pillow in favor of clinging to Derek.

“He promised not to tell.” Derek said.

He took Stiles’ laptop from the bedside table and opened it up to the messageboard. He and Stiles both looked intently at the screen as they scrolled through the most recent posts. So far they were in the clear, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He sent a quick text to the sheriff telling him there was an emergency at home. He couldn’t risk going into specifics.

Soon Stiles was asleep in Derek’s arms while he stayed alert, searching for signs of a potential threat coming for his mate.

When Scott had dropped him off, he made a show of going inside and talking to his parents and settling in, but as soon as the wolf was gone, he had taken off into the preserve.

He still wasn’t used to his wolf side, but he loved the extra strength and endurance it gave him and he loved feeling it as he ran. Soon, he reached his destination: the section of the preserve that went up to the Stilinski property. He climbed a tree and settled in for his steakout.

The first few hours were boring since Stilinski wasn’t home and he had a moment of panic when he heard Scott’s bike, but that kid was too dumb to scent an enemy even if they properly revealed themselves.

Finally, Stiles arrived and, predictably, he wasn’t alone. Thankfully McCall provided enough of a distraction that Hale wasn’t looking for him. And then it happened, an argument between the two best friends.

And he listened to every single word. His advanced senses were serving him well. And then he felt it- the surge in power. His suspicions were true, Stiles was the Sword of Glory and he was determined to have that power all for himself.


	7. Forgery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks so much for reading. Honestly this isn't a super fun chapter, but is important for plot. Hopefully the next one gets fun/exciting.
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated. I love you all!

Stiles went to school the next day with high hopes that Theo would no longer be bothering the pack. During first period, Theo didn’t say a word to him, despite the fact that they were sitting next to each other. It probably helped that he and Derek had slept in the same bed the night before and Stiles overslept so he didn’t have time to shower in the morning. He should be annoyed that he missed a shower two days in a row, but he smelled like Derek, so he couldn’t be bothered to mind. It also probably helped that he was wearing Derek’s tight fitted leather jacket, which was actually just Stiles size. He bet the wolf did that on purpose, but he wasn’t going to question it.

He was feeling good that the Theo situation was handled until he got to the lunch table. He saw Scott happily chatting away with Theo and Liam while the rest of the pack sat in an uncomfortable silence. Either the others had the same misgivings about Theo, or Derek told them to stay far away.

“Hey guys, what’s going on?” He asked as he approached the table.

“Theo was just telling me about this really cool movie he saw last night!” Scott exclaimed, “What was the name of it, again?”

“Star Wars.” Theo smirked.

Stiles’ jaw tightened as he tried to keep his reaction at bay. He had been trying to get Scott to watch those movies for years and now he wants to watch them just because  _ Theo _ mentioned them?

He gave them a tight smile and then sat down next to Lydia on the opposite side of the table from the packless wolf. Malia, who was across from them, wrinkled her nose, “Why do you smell so much like Derek?”

“Because we’re seeing each other.” Stiles smiled. His heart beat a little faster at the thought of Derek wanting him as much as he wanted Derek.

“That sure didn’t take long.” She snorted.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked.

“Well, we broke up, what, a week before Mexico? And you’re already climbing into bed with him?”

“It’s not like that, Malia.”

“Well screw you!” She yelled before getting up and storming out of the cafeteria. 

What the hell was that? It was so out of left field! Didn’t she break up with him? And he and Derek may have shared a bed together (two nights in a row), but they didn’t have sex! He knew Derek wanted (needed) to wait until Stiles was of age and no matter how much his hormones said they should go at it right now, he was going to respect Derek’s wishes. It would suck if their first time had that cloud over it.

“Do you have any idea what that was about?” He asked Lydia and Kira.

Lydia shook her head, but Kira said, “She only broke up with you because she thought you wouldn’t want to be with Peter’s daughter. She still has feelings for you.”

“I didn’t know. If I had I would have asked Derek to tone down the scenting.”

“No you wouldn’t have,” Lydia said matter-of-factly, “Because Derek’s scent is the only thing keeping that snake away from you. And yes, I know you can hear me.” She gave Theo one of her signature death stares and he would not want to be on the receiving end of one of those. It made him wonder if banshees had the ability to kill someone with just a look, he wouldn’t put it past Lydia.

“While that’s a nice perk, he still wouldn’t come around me even if I wasn’t bathed in Derek’s scent.”

Lydia quirked an eyebrow, silently asking him to continue.

“We’re mates. No matter what Malia and I would have broken up and Derek and I would have gotten together. And if Theo makes a move on me Derek has every right to kick him out of the territory- or worse.” He punctuated his point by giving Theo a similar death glare to what Lydia gave him, but he doubted it was as intimidating. No one was as intimidating as Lydia Martin, supernatural or not.

“Well, either way you moved on very quickly with your ex’s cousin no less. It’s bound to ruffle some feathers. She’ll find someone else to get animalistic with and things will go back to normal.” Lydia shugged and Kira gave what he assumed was supposed to be a supportive smile.

Stiles groaned, “I forgot they were cousins.”

“If it helps, I think Derek forgot, too.” Kira added.

Thankfully, the bell signally the end of lunch rang, so he was saved from that line of conversation and from Theo’s presence. Stiles saw Scott and Theo leaving the cafeteria together with Liam following closely behind. Stiles had a sinking feeling that that friendship was not going to end well for anyone.

Before he knew it, it was time for cross country tryouts. Everyone from the lacrosse team was automatically on it because Coach made them join in order to stay in shape, but there were some people who actually liked to run who decided to join the team, like Theo, apparently.

He gave Stiles a wink before running off along the designated trail, Scott and Liam following after him like lost puppies. He knew a wink wasn’t enough for Derek to toss him out, but god, Stiles wished that it was.

Afterwards, Stiles was sure to hit the showers. He may like smelling like Derek but he knew how important personal hygiene was and how much it had been lacking lately. For as thorough as he wanted to be, he also wanted to be quick, feeling the weight of eyes watching him. 

As he went from the showers to his locker, he looked around for Theo, but the other man was nowhere to be found. That made Stiles breathe a sigh of relief until he realized Scott and Liam were also missing. Theo was up to something with those two, but he had no clue what his plans were. As much as he liked finally having an alpha who believed in his instincts, he wanted, no needed, to have proof.

Since it was after school, there weren’t very many people around so it wasn’t that hard to break into Coach’s office and get a picture of Theo’s permission slip. Then he snuck into the main office and took pictures of what was in Theo’s file there.

When he was done, he made his way to Derek’s loft, oblivious to the ever watching eyes of Theo.

His eyes trailed after the jeep as Stiles drove away and then he went into the school and retraced the teens steps. He was glad he finally shook McCall and the puppy. He needed them for his plan, but they were so tiring.

His jaw tightened when he saw that Stiles had been looking into his school files and he became even more tense when he saw the signature on permission slips from early elementary did not match the one on his cross country slip.

He knew when Stiles saw this he wouldn’t let it go, so he had to think fast. The parents were getting dinner set up.

“Mr. and Mrs. Raeken, take a seat.” He said as he entered the home.

The couple stopped what they were doing and sat down at the table as they were told. He did like how obedient they were.

“What the hell is this?” He asked as he laid out the copies he took of the permission slips.

“What are we looking at?” Mr. Raeken asked.

“You are looking at what I hope is a mistake and not a cry for help,” He stated, “No one’s signature changes this much in their adult life.”

“I’m sorry.” Came Mr. Raeken’s shakey response.

Mrs. Raeken was quiet, but he grew to expect that from her, now. It was better than the blubbering mess that her husband was.

“There is one way to fix this  _ mistake _ ,” He spat the last word as he walked over to the toolbox in the living room and pulled out a hammer, “After all, you can’t write properly if your hand is in a cast.”

Mrs. Raeken looked away as he slammed the hammer on Mr. Raeken’s hand, shattering the bones. He smiled as he looked at his handiwork. His plan was all falling into place, even despite this misstep.

Derek’s ears perked up when he heard the familiar sound of the jeep pulling up to the loft. His wolf was wagging its tail at the thought of his mate wanting to see him again so soon.

He could feel the change starting to come over him. It hadn’t been his plan to wolf out, but he didn’t have a problem with it either, so he quickly stripped and then waited by the door for Stiles to come in. And yes, he was outwardly wagging his tail now, too.

When Stiles came through the door, Derek jumped on him. For once, he was consciously letting himself be led by instinct and it felt so good- so freeing. He knew he could trust Stiles with this side of himself and he absolutely loved it. Based on the happy scent coming off of Stiles, he knew his mate loved it, too.

They spent a good portion of their evening goofing around. They even went into the preserve for a bit and played a game of chase. However, when they got back inside Stiles’ tone turned serious.

“There’s something going on with Theo,” Stiles confided, “I’m not sure what, but he’s still trying to befriend the pack, or at least part of it. I looked at his files today and took a few pictures. Could you shift back and tell me what you think?”

Derek appreciated Stiles asking instead of demanding. He knew how Stiles got when he hyper focused on something he thought was important, so it meant a lot that he was taking Derek’s wants into consideration.

He shifted back, but didn’t bother putting his clothes back on, both he and Stiles were used to it by this point and there was no one else around.

“Those are two completely different signatures.” Derek stated.

“Which means either Theo’s parents aren’t really his parents, or someone is pretending to be Theo and the real Raeken’s are sending a message.” Stiles said.

“But that doesn’t make sense. Why would someone kidnap Theo’s parents and pretend to be him? Or why would Theo track down fake people to pretend to be his parents? Why? All so he could move here? What is there to gain?”

“The trust of a true alpha?” Stiles guessed, “Or the power of an evolved wolf? Maybe he’s trying to find a way to get the Sword under his control? Hell, maybe even the nemeton! There is no shortage of power in Beacon Hills that Theo or whoever he is could be after.”

“He’s more of a threat than we realized.”

“But we’re on to him now,” Derek could tell Stiles was trying to calm him, but he still felt on edge, “We can warn the pack, keep an eye on him. One toe out of line and he’s kicked out for good. It’s going to be okay.”

Derek nuzzled Stiles’ neck, letting the scent of his mate and his scent on his mate calm him. None of this was an ideal situation to try and solidify a new pack structure under, but they would have to make due.

And if Theo, or whoever he was, thought he was going to put that in jeopardy, he had another thing coming.


	8. Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! after 16k words, the story is finally picking up. Lol.  
> Comments and kudos are much appreciated!

Saturday came and with that meant the weekly pack meeting. Since it was technically between big bads, it would mostly be a hang out/movie night. However Derek had decided to start off with a reminder warning about Theo.

He and Stiles sat curled into each other on the love seat while they waited for all the members to arrive before starting the meeting. It was fifteen minutes after they were supposed to start, but Scott, Liam, and Malia were all missing. He pulled out his phone and called Scott, barely holding back the rumble of a growl that was dying to get out. After only two rings he was sent to voicemail.

He let the growl go and his eyes flashed red. Scott may be an alpha, but he was still the second in the pack and therefore had to submit to Derek’s authority. Stiles put a comforting hand on Derek’s shoulder before he too got out his phone, trying to contact the other alpha.

He could hear when his mate was sent to voicemail as well. That was what enraged him the most. No one treated his mate like that. Derek got up and ran out of the loft. He didn’t even register the change coming over him, but by the time he was outside he was hitting the ground with four paws instead of two feet. He ran to Scott’s home to find Liam and Malia there as well as Theo Raeken. He growled as he knocked down the door. This punk was not going to steal his pack, his family.

His red eyes were glaring at Theo, ready to pounce, but also being cautious of Mrs. McCall’s home. She was a sweet woman and did not deserve the distruction that was coming her way because of her idiotic son. However, Scott got between him and Theo, his own eyes glowing red back at Derek in defiance as the beta shift took over the other wolf.

“You will not harm my pack.” Scott stated.

Derek growled again and shifted back into human form to have a conversation, “He’s not pack, Scott. Now, you three get to the meeting. Now.”

“You aren’t our alpha.” Malia said from the other end of the room.

“What the hell did you just say?”

“I left the pack. I’m an alpha and I didn’t agree with your decision, so I left. Liam came with me and Malia just joined us today.” Scott explained.

“If you are a rival pack, then you can’t be in Beacon Hills. This is Hale territory.”

“But we live here,” Liam chimed in, “Our families-”

“I have been more than fair and accommodating. Most alphas would have already ran Theo off or killed him. Many would have had a fight to the death between the two alphas. You cannot form another pack on my land. It’s either come back to the Hale pack, or leave the city. Oh, and Theo? You are not welcome here any more.”

Scott just glared back definitely. He shifted back into his human form and a smirk tugged on his lips, “If you kick us out, I’ll tell everyone.”

Derek froze. He had forgotten that Scott saw Stiles go Void, that he knew he was a powerful something. If Scott let it slip then all the crazies from the forum would be knocking at the Stilinski’s front door.

“Come by the loft tomorrow. Alone.” Derek gritted his teeth, “We’ll draw up territory lines.”

He hated this, but Stiles’ safety had to come first and Scott knew this, the little shit.

With a final glare, Derek left the McCall residence, wondering what Theo’s end game was in all of this.

When Derek left, Stiles tried his best not to panic. He knew the alpha was angry, but he also knew he wouldn’t actually hurt Scott, probably just push him against some walls and threaten to rip his throat out with his teeth. You know, the usual.

The other pack members were on edge due to the display of anger and dominance, so Stiles decided to rectify that situation.

He put on a big smile and turned to the group, “Who wants to watch Toy Story?”

Sure it was a kids movie, but who didn’t love Toy Story? It would be a good way to break the tension, “Kira, why don’t you start it while I make some popcorn?”

When he got in the kitchen he took a deep breath, thankful that the wolves who could hear and smell that something was wrong were gone at the moment. He took his time popping the popcorn in order to give him time to collect himself before Derek returned with the wayward pack members.

When he returned to the mainroom, he could tell he hadn’t fooled Lydia, but Kira was happily watching the movie. Despite trying to appear relaxed, he watched the door intently. He couldn’t feel settled knowing Derek was out there getting into god knows what because of Scott’s stupidity.

Finally, Derek came back in, sans Scott, Liam, and Malia. Kira paused the movie.

“What happened?” Stiles asked.

Kira averted her eyes from the naked alpha, but Lydia made no attempt to hide her leering. Stiles would be jealous if he didn’t know that Derek only had eyes for him. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants before explaining.

“Scott made his own pack with Theo. Liam and Malia chose to join him.”

“He can’t just do that!” Stiles yelled.

“I have to let it happen.”

“From what I’ve read of pack traditions you have every right to run him off.” Lydia stated.

Derek’s jaw tightened, “I have to let him stay.”

Stiles’ eyebrows pinched. While Derek always showed grace, this was unlike him. What Scott was doing was too out of line to let it go. And then it hit him.

“Don’t do this,” Stiles pleaded, “I’ll be fine. You need to protect the rest of the pack. Protect this territory.”

“I have to protect you, too.”

“I can take care of myself. You know that better than anyone.”

That statement was met with questioning looks from the girls. He knew he had said too much and that they had seen _something_ in Mexico.

He thought about each of them. Lydia was smart and would probably figure it out on her own and then be upset that Stiles didn’t trust her with it. Not telling her would probably reopen the wound of them not telling her about the supernatural and letting her think she was crazy.

Kira was quiet and reserved, but loyal. However it seemed her loyalty was more to the pack than to Scott, which was good. He didn’t even know if they were still together at this point or not. He also knew she was stronger than she looked.

“I’m the Sword of Glory.” When he was met with confused looks from the girls and a murderous glare from Derek, he continued to explain what that meant and why he was trusting them.

Lydia immediately went onto the forum to see what people were seeing while Kira was still trying to process everything.

“So you’re not human?” Kira asked.

“Never have been, apparently.” Stiles sighed.

“Wait a second,” Lydia turned the laptop around so it was facing everyone, “This is your dad’s username?” Stiles nodded, “And this is Derek?” Derek nodded, “Then who is this third one? I mean, everyone is posting wrong intel, but this guy is intentionally backing up your dad and Derek. This person knows you aren’t wherever they are sending the others on the forum.”

“Could it be Scott?” Stiles asked. If it was, then his threats to out him were just that, threats. And they could put all this rival pack bullshit behind them and maybe repair their friendship.

“I don’t think so. The speech pattern doesn’t seem like him. If he were in on the secret I could contact Danny and ask if he could track down the IP address, but I don’t think it would be wise to bring others in on this secret, even if I do believe we can trust Danny.”

“Could he teach you?” Derek asked, “I agree that we shouldn’t bring more people in on the secret, but we need to know who this is. Would Danny be willing to teach you how to track an IP address?”

“I could ask, and it wouldn’t be a weird request. He knows my thirst for knowledge and I would love to learn more about technology.”

“Perfect. Start working on that as soon as possible. With this new information, I don’t think you should be alone, Stiles. Either Kira or I will be with you at all times. We won’t give this guy a chance to get to you.”

“Normally I’d fight you on that, but now that there’s a real mystery guy out there I don’t care.” Stiles leaned further into Derek. He hated this.

“Kira, text me your schedule so we can iron out the details. Other than that, we all have our assignments, so let’s just relax the rest of the night.”

The restarted the movie, but none of them relaxed. The knowledge of someone coming for Stiles was looming over all of them and they couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched, despite knowing that they weren’t.

He had to suppress his smile when the Hale alpha left. Phase one of his plan was going swimmingly. It was so nice that Scott never learned distrust, even after all this time spent in the supernatural world. It made things so much easier.

It was also nice that none of the weres in the room were able to pick up chemosignals, so he didn’t have to worry about schooling his emotions.

“How did you get him to back down so quickly?” Malia asked, “What do you have on him?”

“It doesn’t matter. We get to keep our homes and have our own pack, away from Derek.”

But it did matter. He knew that Scott knew what Stiles was. He hadn’t expected the alpha to be gutsy enough to use it as blackmail, so he had to applaud Scott for that. It definitely worked in his favor if this was how Scott was playing it.

He played the concerned friend, helping Scott put the door back on its hinges while Liam and Malia cleaned up the debris. 

This was the part of the plan he hated the most. Having to befriend these beasts who were below him. It was hard work and it left him exhausted, but it had to be done.

Finally he was able to go home. Mr. and Mrs. Raeken were up and watching tv when he walked in, however they were blasting the volume.

“Turn that down.” He commanded. They reluctantly complied, but they didn’t turn it down by much.

He glared, “Lower.”

Finally it was low enough that he could hear surrounding noises and he heard a shuffling in the basement. He grabbed his trusty hammer from the toolbox, unlocked the door, and investigated.

There in the corner was Theo, chained to the wall, except he wasn’t chained anymore. The last shackle fell to the ground as he watched.

“What do you think you’re doing, Theo?” He asked, “How did you get the pick?”

When Theo didn’t answer, he continued, “Looks like I need to find a more permanent way to keep you here. He swung the hammer and it connected with Theo’s knee.

“Can’t run away if you can’t run,” He hit the other knee for good measure and then chained the teen back to the wall, “You’re parents were helping you, weren’t they? Looks like I’ll have to take care of them as well.”

Theo looked up at him with bright blue eyes, but the silent pleading did not change his resolve. He was only doing what had to be done. 


	9. Phase 1

Stiles soon had a new routine: go to bed cuddling Derek, wake up to Derek making breakfast, shower, either wish his dad a good morning or welcome him home, go to school and meet Kira in the parking lot, eat lunch with Kira and Lydia, avoid Scott and Theo, smile and wave to Liam and Malia, go to cross country practice with Kira (who was the first girl to ever make the lacrosse team and now had to suffer cross country with the rest of them), go home to Derek, and repeat.

To be fair, he liked how much Derek was in this routine and they sometimes went out on dates on the weekend, but he didn’t really like the lack of Scott. He knew people changed and grew apart. He also knew that since turning, Scott had been an absolute shithead and his most recent behavior was only part of that.

He didn’t want to be anywhere near this current version of Scott with his toxic  _ morality _ (which wasn’t even that moral, he just never directly got his hands dirty). What he missed was his friend from before. The one who was there for him when his mom passed, who listened to him wax poetic about the exact shade of Lydia’s hair (now that he thought about it, he probably deserved all the times Scott went on about Allison). He missed the friend who couldn’t wait to play video games or traipse around in the woods looking for a dead body. 

Thanks to Stiles’ excellent decision making, that friend was gone for good; too lost in the  _ superiority _ that his new powers gave him. But at the same time Scott couldn’t wait to get rid of the powers that gave him everything he’d ever wanted- he was a walking contradiction.

About two weeks after Scott and Derek drew up territory lines, Stiles was staying after practice to shower and collect his thoughts. No one else was in the locker room and he knew Kira was right outside if he needed anything. That’s when he heard it.

There was a banging in the ventilation system. At first he had thought he imagined it, but then he heard it again a little ways farther down than the first one. He followed the sound for a little bit before it was leading to the hallway. He grabbed Kira on the way out and kept following the sound.

“What are you doing?” Kira asked.

“Shh,” Stiles whispered, “Don’t you hear it?”

“Hear what?” She whispered back.

Soon they were in front of the boiler room and they could see two silhouettes in the obscured window in the door.

“Why haven’t you moved to phase two?” A familiar woman’s voice demanded.

“I haven’t been able to get him alone,” Came Theo’s voice, “His lackey’s are always around. It’s obnoxious.”

“Well get moving. We don’t have time to waste.”

“How is the research going on your end?” Theo asked, “Found a way to weaponize him yet?”

“All we need is his true name and we’ll have complete control,” The woman said, “Seems rather fae to me, but to each their own.”

“Well his name must be in his school files somewhere. Find it, and I’ll get the power we need to finish our plans.”

Stiles and Kira hurried out of the school before Theo could catch them. On practice days, Stiles gave Kira a ride home, so they both hopped in the jeep and made a mad dash to the Stilinski residence while Kira texted her parents to tell them where she would be and texted Derek and Lydia about an emergency pack meeting.

Derek’s car was already at Stiles’ house as it usually was, and Lydia was pulling in just as Stiles and Kira were.

“What happened?” Derek demanded after they all got inside.

Stiles relayed what he had heard and the familiarity of the woman’s voice.

“Will they be able to find your true name?” Kira asked.

“I’m not sure,” Stiles confessed, “I would think my parents would be smart enough not to put something that powerful on any documentation, but I would have to verify that with my dad.”

“Danny has been teaching me some basic hacking. I can get into the school’s network and check security cameras. See if we can figure out who this woman is.” Lydia contributed.

“Well it’s clear they are after Stiles, so Kira, you should stay the night as well. We can take turns keeping watch during the night. I’ll also make sure I’m near the school tomorrow should anything go down.”

Stiles nodded, “Good. He said he can’t do anything with my ‘lackies’ around, so I think that’s the best course of action until we have more information.”

“I’m going to spend the night, too. If they can’t get to Stiles they might go for a vulnerable member of the pack. It’s best to all stay together.”

“Puppy pile!” Stiles declared before he got up and started gathering all the pillows and blankets in the house and placing them in the center of the living room.

“Can it really be a puppy party if there is only one puppy?” Lydia asked.

Derek’s responding growl was more playful than anything and the four of them ended up all cuddled on the floor with a movie on, while Lydia typed away on her laptop, trying to hack into the school’s security cameras.

Stiles fell asleep happily snuggled between Derek and Kira. He didn’t remember ever feeling this safe and content before.

Derek listened as Stiles’ breathing and heartrate evened out, signally he fell asleep. He placed a kiss on top of Stiles’ head before carefully extracting himself and moving to the kitchen. He put on a pot of coffee to try and help him and Kira stay awake and he took out the phone and called the sheriff.

“Derek? What’s wrong?” The sheriff answered. He was always intuitive.

Derek relayed as much as they knew and what they were doing about it. As he was finishing his explanation, he was pouring himself a cup of coffe and Lydia was quietly calling him over.

He looked as her screen and froze.

“Derek? What is it?” Noah asked.

“Kate,” Derek answered, “Kate Argent is back in town and she’s helping Theo get Stiles. Or Theo’s helping her, that’s not quite clear.”

“I’ll let Parrish and Chris know to keep an eye out,” Noah sighed, “Unfortunately since she’s officially dead I can’t put out an APB.”

“I’ll call Breaden. She’s been trying to track down Kate and would be a good ally with this.”

“If you tell him, he’ll go after her.” The sheriff warned.

“I know sir. For his own safety, it would be best if he didn’t know.”

“I’m glad we’re agreed. Now we both have phone calls to make, so we’ll talk about this more in depth later.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Derek looked at Kira and Lydia, “Not a word to Stiles about Kate.”

“Why not? Wouldn’t it be better if he could keep his eyes out for the threat?” Kira asked.

“Not this time. He wanted to kill Kate for killing me. He still does,” Derek explained, “If he knows it’s her he will go after her and use his void to wipe her off the face of this earth, bringing more threats to Beacon Hills. For his safety, he can’t know the truth. Not yet.

The girls reluctantly agreed and Lydia put her laptop away before snuggling into Kira’s side.

“I’ll take the first watch, you two rest.”

Derek had every intention of waking Kira at the agreed upon time, but found he wasn’t tired and decided to let the girl rest. After all, she had school the next day and Derek had no responsibilities beyond protecting Stiles.

By this point, he knew watching Stiles sleep was comforting, but having the rest of his small pack here made it even more peaceful. It made him long for the days that the entire pack lived at the house in the preserve. It was so far out of town that they were able to shift and run through the woods. He had always been so awed to see his mother and sister do a full shift and he counted himself as lucky that he was not able to do one, too.

As much as it had annoyed him as a teenager, he missed everyone being on top of each other and knowing everyone else’s business. He missed the closeness of pack- of family.

Now his sister was in South America with a different pack, his uncle was in Eichen House’s supernatural ward, and half of his pack chose to leave. He didn’t know if it was possible to gain back what he used to have- what he caused himself to lose- but it was small moments like this that let him know not everything was lost. Slowly but surely he was regaining a pack. And with Stiles, he was regaining a family.

Kate waited until the last janitor left the school and then made her way to the office. She went through the files until she found one labeled M. Stilinski. She had no idea Stiles name actually started with an M, but seeing as there were no other Stilinski’s, this had to be the right file.

And there, the first thing on the page was Stiles’ full, real name. She doubted this was the name they needed to control him, that would be too easy, but it was a good place to start. Mieczyslaw Noah Stilinski had no idea what was coming.

After leaving Kate at the school, he wasn’t sure what to do. After sending ‘his mom’ to the hospital in a ‘car accident’ neither of the Raeken boys had tried anything, which made things at home rather uneventful.

He couldn’t make a move on Stilinski until they had his true name, which again made things rather dull at the moment. He missed being in the middle of the action, and this current plan had little to no action.

On one hand, that was what made it such a good plan, but on the other, he just wanted to  _ do _ something.

He climbed his usual tree outside the Stilinski house to see what they were up to and was surprised to find the entire Hale pack in attendance (although that wasn’t hard with their small numbers).

Apparently he got there after their discussion about whatever (probably about how they shouldn’t trust him) and had moved on to watching a movie. Watching this was even more boring than whatever was going on at home.

He yawned before getting out of the tree and going for a run through the preserve. That was how he ended up at the McCall house. He stayed in the trees and just listened for a moment. There was only one heartbeat in the house and it was coming from Scott’s room. He smiled to himself before climbing up to the alpha’s bedroom window.

He tapped at the window and had to hide his smirk at Scott’s look of surprise. The alpha came over and opened the window for him to climb in.

“What are you doing here so late?” Scott asked.

“I don’t know I just…” He made himself tear up. The more sympathy he could gain, the better, “Since my mom’s been in the hospital things just haven’t been the same at home.”

He made sure to chose his words carefully so that the wolf wouldn’t be able to detect the lie. He had been doing so this whole time, but it was probably pointless. Scott was too thick headed to realize when he was being tricked. He really did need Stiles more than Stiles needed him.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Scott assured him, “I’ve gone through something similar with a friend before. It didn’t really work out for him, but your moms are in the hospital for different things. She’ll recover and things will get back to normal.”

“But there is no normal, now. There never can be.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m a stupid mutt, now,” He confessed, “Granted, I asked to be one, but I was desperate. I didn’t see another way to survive at the time. There will never be a  _ normal _ as long as supernatural scum are allowed to walk the earth.”

“Theo, what the hell are you talking about?”

He could smell the fear coming off of Scott and it was intoxicating.

“You know, if you were never bitten, I never would have given you the time of day. I don’t think many people would have. And now nobody will again.”

Before Scott could even blink, he was on him, claws in the alpha’s chest. He could feel the power coming into him as the life drained out of Scott’s eyes. 

Once he could feel the power transfer was complete, he dropped Scott’s lifeless body on the floor and stepped infront of the closest mirror. Phase one was finally complete. Now he and Kate would be able to move onto phase two with no complications or distractions. It was all going according to plan.

He grabbed Scott’s body and threw it over his shoulder and set off through the preserve to the warehouse district. He entered one and ran up the stairs to the top floor. He rolled open the door and laughed to himself that Derek hadn’t taken better security measures, or any at all for that matter.

He tossed Scott’s body onto Derek’s couch and prayed that Stiles would be the one to find it.


	10. Predator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to draw attention to the "Creator chose not to use archive warnings" that means anything could be in this fic. I would also like to emphasize that Kate is in this fic. She is not a good person and we know her crimes. Just keep that in mind.
> 
> Also a shout out to Grim for inspiring and spreading angst.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are welcome and appreciated! Hope you like this chapter.

Derek was exhausted. Staying up all night was not a good idea. He was currently hiding behind the treeline near the high school keeping an eye and an ear on his pack. However when he first got there, something was off.

There was a heartbeat missing.

Derek shook his head. There was no way he would be able to distinguish one missing heartbeat unless it was one he was familiar with and his pack was all accounted for, and unfortunately Theo was, too.

It must be the sleep deprivation messing with his head. He would be able to sleep when school was out and they were all in the safety of the Stilinski house or the loft. Until then he had to push through. 

Around noon, Parrish showed up with lunch and coffee, saying the sheriff told him to. It was clear he thought it was weird that Derek was creeping around the school, but since the sheriff wasn’t concerned, neither was Parrish.

The deputy ended up sticking around for a bit and joined him for the meal.

“So, what do you think I am?” He asked.

Derek just looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“I was worth four million on the deadpool. I have to be  _ something. _ ” He reasoned.

Derek couldn’t argue with his logic there, “Well, you don’t smell like a wolf. Honestly I don’t know much about other creatures. As the left hand, Peter was in charge of the bestiary and he was very secretive. Since he’s in Eichen now he’s not really a resource. Argent would probably be the best man to ask. I know his family has their own bestiary since that’s what we used to figure out the whole kanima thing.”

“You used a lot of words I don’t understand, but I got the ask Argent part, so I’ll start there,” Parrish answered, “So why are you here?”

“There’s a threat in the school.”

“Well, keep us updated, I guess.” And with that he left and Derek was alone again.

He took a sip of his coffee and turned his attention back to the school. Stiles was at lunch with Lydia and Kira, he could hear their heartbeats in the cafeteria. On the other side of the cafeteria was Theo with Malia and Liam.

Wait, where was Scott? He had bad grades and was flakey in the best of times, but Mellisa would kill him if he missed school for anything other than a life or death situation.

He pulled out his phone and dialled Scott’s number, but it rang before going to voicemail. Something was wrong.

He turned around to start running to the McCall house, but there was someone behind him.

“Hello again, puppy.”

That was the last thing he heard before he was knocked unconscious.

Stiles was happy to wake up to his friends and boyfriend in the morning, but less so when he found out Derek had been up all night.

“You can’t fight off the bad guys alone. That’s what you have a pack for.” He had told him.

He knew Derek was somewhere nearby watching them and not sleeping. Seriously, Derek got on his case when he was on a late night research binge, but thinks it’s okay for him to stay up all night. Hypocrite. 

Since it was lunch now, he took out his phone and sent a text to the ever lurking sourwolf, trying to insist that he should go home and get some rest. He knew it wasn’t going to do anything, but at least he could say he tried. He thought it was strange that he didn’t get a response by the end of lunch, but maybe Derek actually was asleep. If that was the case, then Stiles would be okay not hearing from him until they went to the loft later that day.

When school was over, Stiles and Kira made their way onto the field for cross country practice while Lydia waited for them in the stands.

“Has anyone seen McCall?” Coach asked. It was then that Stiles realized he hadn’t seen Scott all day. The rest of the B-team pack had been there, but their alpha was missing. Based on the responses, no one had seen him, not even Liam or Theo.

He made eye contact with Lydia and she nodded and pulled out her phone. She would take care of tracking down Scott and alerting Derek to what was going on.

Stiles looked at Theo, trying to gage his reaction to his alpha’s mysterious disappearance, but his face didn’t give anything away other than mild concern. There was nothing to suggest the concern was fake, so this may not have been Theo’s doing, but Stiles wouldn’t put anything past him. He would be a suspect until proven innocent.

“What are you doing standing around here for? Run!” Coach’s screaming voice pulled Stiles from his thoughts. With one last look towards Lydia, Stiles and Kira went running off into the preserve.

When practice was over and he was done in the locker room, he met Kira and Lydia in the parking lot.

“I couldn’t get a hold of either of them.” Lydia said.

“Let’s go to the loft,” Stiles decided, “Derek is probably sleeping off his all nighter and then once he’s with us, we can track down Scott.”

He could see the underlying doubt in both of their eyes, but they agreed nonetheless. They all climbed into the jeep before Stiles drove off to the loft.

When they arrived, all the lights were off, which wasn’t weird if Derek was sleeping. He immediately ran to the back corner where the mattress was shoved to find… nothing. The mattress was still there, but Derek wasn’t and his drawers were all open and empty.

“What the hell?” He whispered.

Suddenly, Lydia’s scream was deafening him. He turned around to see her and Kira staring, shellshocked at the couch. Stiles made his way over to them and found Scott lying there, dead.

“I didn’t see it,” Lydia murmured, “Why didn’t I see it?”

“Those look like claw marks around his heart.” Kira commented.

“No. No. This can’t be happening. This isn’t what’s happening. Lydia didn’t see the death, so Scott has to still be alive. And Derek didn’t leave. He’s still here somehow. He’s here and Scott’s alive.”

“We should get him to Deaton. See if he can tell us anything about how he died.” Kira said.

“I don’t think we should move the body. It’s better if we call Deaton and have him come here. He could also tell us if there’s anything magical going on that made Derek go AWOL.” 

With Stiles’ plan in mind, Lydia got out her phone and dialled Deaton’s number, asking him to get to the loft ASAP.

“Once we get confirmation that he’s gone, we’ll have to tell Melissa.” Stiles said as they waited.

When all of this started, that had been his greatest fear; either Scott having to tell his dad that he was gone, or he having to tell Melissa. One one hand, he was glad it wasn’t him, he knew his dad wouldn’t be able to take the news. Either he would have a heart attack or he would turn to booze again and drink himself to death. Melissa on the other hand was strong. It would hurt and she probably would never fully recover, but she wouldn’t let it stop her from living. Just like Chris moved on after Alison’s death, she would move on from this.

Alison, that was one happy thought with this. Scott and Alison would be reunited in whatever afterlife exists… unless there was a different after life for humans and supernaturals… he should really look into that.

Finally Deaton came through the door with a grim look on his face.

“What happened?” He asked.

“We were hoping you could tell us.” Stiles said.

Deaton knelt down next to Scott’s body and started examining his wounds, “I’m not a coroner, so I can’t give you a time of death, however this was definitely a werewolf who did this. It is clear that this wasn’t a normal mortal wound, but one that stole his alpha spark.”

“Would Liam and Malia be able to identify who their new alpha is?” Lydia asked.

“While they would have the same bond with this new alpha as they had with Scott, they won’t necessarily be able to feel it right away. The alpha would be able to conceal it until he or she saw fit.”

“Do you sense any residual magic in the loft?” Stiles asked.

“I don’t sense any magic here.” 

While Stiles was grateful that Deaton realized this was not the time for his cryptic bullshit, he did not like what that could mean for Derek.

“There’s no signs of a struggle, either.” Kira commented, which just had Stiles even more on edge.

He took his phone out and called Derek, “We’re sorry. The number you are trying to reach is no longer in service-” He hung up and stormed out of the loft. Kira and Lydia could get a ride with Deaton. Right now Stiles needed to be alone until he got himself under control again.

He drove off into the preserve and ended up at the old Hale house.

He ran out of the car and into the house. He could feel the void creeping up in his destress. He knew he was going to have to tell his dad about this. There was going to be major damage control to do later, but right now he just had to get it to  _ stop _ ! If anyone were to walk into this house they would be dead in a matter of seconds.

Through his panic, he heard something coming from behind one of the doors. The void wasn’t receding, if anything it was growing stronger. For the first time he could see the dark aura surrounding him.

He slowly inched towards the door, assuming it was just an animal, but knowing if it was a threat they would be dead before they even saw who he was. He opened the door and saw a body tied to a chair that slumped over dead at the sight of him. He moved closer, wondering who it was who had been held captive here and who had abducted them. It was then that he saw his face.

“Derek,” Stiles whispered, “DEREK!” He yelled.

He knelt down in front of Derek and untied the ropes. The scent of wolfsbane clung to them and he knew it was a hunter who had done this. But there was no way for the hunter to know what Stiles was or that he would have ended up here. Derek wasn’t supposed to die.

He tried to call on his spark like he did in Mexico, but it wasn’t coming. The only thing that did was make the void fade. There was no longer a dark aura, but there was no life being breathed back into Derek.

Maybe his powers only worked on people once. Derek had been given a second chance and now Stiles had taken it away.

He pulled Derek out of the chair and onto the floor with him. He cradled his mate in his arms and tears fell.

It was fitting for Derek to meet his end here. This was the place where he lost his family, where he buried Laura.

Stiles needed to call Cora. He should visit Eichen and tell Peter what happened… well not everything. He didn’t want to think about what Peter would do if he knew Stiles was the Sword.

But he couldn’t think about that right now. He couldn’t think about anything beyond the hole in his heart that he made. Not only was Derek dead, but it was his fault. He had killed Derek and he knew he would never fully recover.

Normally he would think that was over dramatic, teen, Romeo and Juliet mumbo jumbo, but his relationship with Derek was different. They were  _ mates _ . That was a once in a lifetime supernatural phenomenon. He would never love someone like he loved Derek and he would never be loved in the way that Derek loved him.

Derek was his anchor. Whenever he went void, Derek had always brought him back. He supposed Derek brought him back this time, too. The shock of his death took away the void. He wouldn’t have that next time. He was a danger to everyone in the state he was in now, especially because he didn’t know how to call upon his spark to fix what his void broke.

Stiles was so wrapped up in his own thoughts, he didn’t hear when someone walked in behind him.

“Well isn’t this a pretty picture,” A familiar female voice said, “This went even better than I had planned, Mieczysław Noah Stilinski.”

Kate was having a wonderful day. Her incompetent partner finally completed phase one of their plan and now had the alpha spark and that horrendously “moral” kid was out of the way. She had no clue what her niece saw in that boy, but she couldn’t deny he would have been fun to break.

With McCall out of the way, she got to have her fun, now. She spent the first half of the day tracking Derek. She had to suppress a laugh at how oblivious the wolf was. He was supposed to be this big, bad alpha, but he couldn’t even tell he was being watched.

It was interesting to overhear his conversation with the deputy. Maybe she could offer her services to figure out what he was. He was certainly handsome so she wouldn’t mind  _ fully _ offering her services. He seemed straight laced enough that she’d have fun corrupting him.

Once he left, she turned her attention back to the task at hand. Derek was alone and distracted, it was the perfect time to strike.

She saw him pull out his phone and that just wouldn’t do, so she made her move. She jumped in front of him, “Hello again, puppy.” And then she injected him with a special strain of wolfsbane that would knock him out for the rest of the day.

She slung him over her shoulder and made her way to her favorite place in town; the old Hale house.

She didn’t know why it was still standing, but she liked it. It was a shrine to her accomplishments. Every time she saw the burned out husk of a house, she remembered the screams of the beasts within.

She knew Derek would appreciate the irony of being held in the place of her greatest victory and his greatest loss. She hoped it would bring the same luck to this endeavor. 

She got him in the back room and tied her to a chair with wolfsbane ropes. That had stung, but she had thick skin. It was worth it for the ongoing agony it would cause Derek.

Once she knew he was secured, she went to the loft and packed a go bad of Derek’s things. It had to look like he left in a rush, but that he was still organized enough to be thorough. She smirked when she saw McCall’s body on the couch. It was clear he had been there for a while and it was an assault on her enhanced senses, but it was worth it.

She then took the go bag to the Raeken house and laid low there for a bit. It also didn’t hurt to put some fear into this family. She went to the basement and had some fun with Theo while she was there. He was a good looking kid and just as corruptible as the other boys who were her type.

With a smile on her face, she sauntered out of the house and into the preserve. When she arrived at the house, she was greeted with the best present of all.

“Well isn’t this a pretty picture. This went even better than I had planned, Mieczysław Noah Stilinski.”


End file.
